Yes, it can be tricky to keep them in place. Mostly I haven't had any problem with that. Maybe be sure to have some that are small enough to not get close to the metal around it. These are the size I use from
Amazon.
A while back I had communicated with Scott Jones about the use of rare earth magnets and he said he had experimented with them but the little couplers will stay in place better.
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"That Tuning Guy"
Scott Kerns
www.thattuningguy.comTunic OnlyPure, TuneLab & PianoMeter user
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-27-2020 12:59
From: Jeannie Grassi
Subject: V-bar noise Yamaha C3
I, too, have had success with Scott's string couplers even though that isn't what they were designed for.
Scott, your magnet idea it ingenious. How do you control the placement? I find it difficult to place them where I want once they get near all that other metal. Tweezers don't work because they won't let go. Papp mute?
~ jeannie
Jeannie Grassi
Registered Piano Technician
Island Piano Service
206-842-3721
grassipianos@gmail.com
Original Message:
Sent: 11/27/2020 12:17:00 PM
From: Scott Kerns
Subject: RE: V-bar noise Yamaha C3
"Have you tried the string couplers that Scott Jones sells? I have been mostly successful in reducing front duplex noise with these couplers. Sometimes you have to experiment with the position of the coupler and how many will be needed to reduce the noise." - Don McKechnie, RPT
Yes, these can save the day! Another way to get the same effect is with 2 small rare earth magnets, one for the middle & left and another for the middle & right. Arrange them so the they are attracted to each other. I use these all the time. If you get the effect you want you can then install the string couplers for a more "permanent" solution. The magnets stay in place pretty well but, of course, can move around a bit.
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"That Tuning Guy"
Scott Kerns
www.thattuningguy.com
Tunic OnlyPure, TuneLab & PianoMeter user
Original Message:
Sent: 11-27-2020 11:22
From: Donald McKechnie
Subject: V-bar noise Yamaha C3
Hi John,
Yamaha usually does a good job with the v-bar radius but could it be a bit too large? We often see a too wide v-bar on Steinway grands but I have not seen that problem on Yamaha grands. If the noise is coming from the front duplex, how does the counter-bearing angle look? Years ago I experimented with the counter-bearing angle on a Baldwin by adding a thin piece of brass stock on top of the bearing bars. It was a big hassle but there was slight improvement.
Have you tried the string couplers that Scott Jones sells? I have been mostly successful in reducing front duplex noise with these couplers. Some times you have to experiment with the position of the coupler and how many will be needed to reduce the noise.
Best,
Don
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[Don] [McKechnie,] [RPT]
[Piano Technician]
[dmckech@ithaca.edu]
[Home 607.277.7112]
Original Message:
Sent: 11-24-2020 10:27
From: John Foy
Subject: V-bar noise Yamaha C3
I'm having difficulty confirming that the V-bar on a 15 year old Yamaha C3 is the true culprit of some aggravating extraneous noise...
The sounds are typical of what I've experienced on many occasions when strings have worn indentations into the V-bar-- intermittent high partials that are irritatingly inharmonious and simply noisy on medium to loud blows. The sound also contains an element of tonal distortion even on quiet blows. The area is D5 to F5, the bass end of the first V-bar section. Muting out the duplex section does not solve the issue. I resurfaced the V-bar on three of these notes simply to verify that this was the problem. Even though the client and I both agree that the tone quality of these notes was slightly improved, the noise and distortion remain. I gently rendered the strings to the bridge to no avail. I've been tuning and voicing this instrument for several years, so I'm familiar with the tone quality and the methods of voicing the hammers that get what the client desires. I'm considering restringing the entire V-bar section and carefully resurfacing and polishing the entire length of the V-bar as I would do in a rebuilding situation, but I'm not entirely convinced that this is the problem since it didn't vanish completely as I thought it might with this treatment of just 3 notes. Visually, it appeared that I had removed the slight groves that had formed on the V-bar.
Might I be missing something that is unique to Yamahas? Better glasses and more light for my aging eyes? Is it time to really cut back on the coffee? Not sure, but I'm grateful for any advice during this Thanksgiving week.
Best to All,