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Home Contact:
Geoffrey Dancer
Piano Restoration
Unit 4
Clapham Junction
SW11 2NU
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Old and New Piano design has not
really changed since 1880 so a brand new Yamaha grand has structurally everything
in common with its Age does have a detrimental effect on pianos in several ways: strings oxidise and stiffen, losing their ability to sustain; hammer felt hardens if left unserviced over the years, or becomes soft and compacted - unable to operate in a springy fashion against the string (new or old!). These factors will produce a marked deterioration in sound quality. However, the most important part of any piano is the soundboard, which in most cases remains the same, and even if splits have occurred, may still retain an advantage over the modern soundboard in its sensitivity of reaction owing to its having originally been seasoned more slowly. Usually Provided that
central heating has not caused the soundboard to change position vis-a-vis
the overall string pressure, the old soundboard is in many ways (tonally, in
a way of interest to a musician) superior to the new one and its condition is
the first thing to be checked out. There are as many 'sound personalities' as
there are instruments, and the soundboard is the component at the heart of
the piano, and which imparts the individual voice (differing even within the Working on the
hammer felts and how they are 'flung' to the strings is a further factor in
the realisation of the potential of the soundboards contribution. The quality
of the hammer felt has a direct relationship with the range of sound offered
to the pianist, new sets of hammers fresh from the factory often needing an
enormous amount of easing with needles to even begin to ascertain what kind
of range is being offere Often new pianos have not had sufficient time for this ‘quality control’ to have taken place adequately, and hence their potential as instruments often remains unrealised. This over recent years has resulted in the tendency for the sound of the modern piano to be overly bright and ‘edgy’ with a consequent loss in expressive range. Given that the modern soundboard has a tendency to be stiffer in reaction to the string vibration, the hammer toners job here is paramount.
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