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Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

  • 1.  Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Posted 04-06-2021 20:05
    Note the one damper that is 'new'--the upper (in the picture) felt is literally coming apart.

    Note the low-midrange dampers that are ORIGINAL--they are not shredding. They look to my unpracticed eye as though they are made of a different kind of felt. Note how they are holding the impression of the strings they have been damping.

    Note how the same dampers that are clearly shredding, actually look nice and neat when they are carefully position in the piano. But when they raise from the string, the shredding will cause them to raise irregularly.

    Note three hi-range dampers, which are (I THINK) originals. Starting to shred.

    Comments?

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    Hank Mooney
    San Francisco CA
    415-640-2731
    [Hank]
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  • 2.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-06-2021 21:21
    Hi Henry:
    I can't imagine what would cause the felt to shred. The only thing I can think of is something sticky on the strings. Some felt is horizontal and some is vertical, the way the layers of felt are stacked for thickness. I have seen many vertical dampers that are sewn in the middle, perhaps the ones you have are for grand pianos. But then I don't know why they would behave any differently in either piano. I confess I don't really know that much. You might contact PianoForte Supply, Jergen may know what is going on and have some suggestions. info@pianofortesupply.com.
    Good luck.
    Paul McCloud
    San Diego


    Henry Mooney
    Note the one damper that is 'new'--the upper (in the picture) felt is literally coming apart.

    Note the low-midrange dampers that are ORIGINAL--they are not shredding. They look to my unpracticed eye as though they are made of a different kind of felt. Note how they are holding the impression of the strings they have been damping.

    Note how the same dampers that are clearly shredding, actually look nice and neat when they are carefully position in the piano. But when they raise from the string, the shredding will cause them to raise irregularly.

    Note three hi-range dampers, which are (I THINK) originals. Starting to shred.

    Comments?

    ------------------------------
    Hank Mooney
    San Francisco CA
    415-640-2731
    [Hank]





  • 3.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-06-2021 22:26
    The damage to the damper felts could well have occurred outside the piano or in a clumsy attempt to put it back in. DAMHIK

    It looks like many hands have been into that action.

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    Steven Rosenthal
    Honolulu HI
    808-521-7129
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  • 4.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Member
    Posted 04-06-2021 23:02
    High humidity may be a factor but it looks like there are several different types of damper heads and the felt is getting torn up because the dampers are not clearing the strings , are lifting unevenly or even are miss-matched. A good set of the proper felt and heads from Yamaha that are appropriate to the year and model plus proper travelling, damper fit & lift, timing from the key and pedal should resolve things. There could be other issues that need to be addressed such as the strength of damper springs, uneven lift in each section, need to properly regulate damper spoons, damper clearance, lost motion

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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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  • 5.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-07-2021 02:30
    This does not look like normal wear from playing. The felts look torn, which is not something that can happen by just playing. No, it looks to me like the damage may be caused when the piano is being tuned by either a carelessly placed and removed string mute strip or forcing rubber or felt mutes between the strings behind the dampers. That could cause a sideways pull/push on the felts that would tear them flat through the layers just like your pics show.

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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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  • 6.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Posted 04-07-2021 08:36
    The string impressions are typical. They are not shredding, someone ripped off a layer or two of felt. Some heads were reinstalled upside-down. I suspect a DIY botched attempt.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
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  • 7.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-07-2021 08:47
    Agreed. This is a mess and bears the marks of incompetence. 

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 8.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-07-2021 08:51
    Strip muting under the treble section of dampers can result in this tearing, or as Jon suggests perhaps a clumsy attempt to sand or tear off a (crusty, zingy) layer of felt. Yes it looks terrible but how well does it dampen?
    You do not want the more dense felt used for the bass section wedges: that would cause extreme "leakage": poor damping, and extraneous buzzes. Other types of treble damper felt may work, but know what you're doing before proceeding! The Yamaha felt dampens extremely well.

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    Patrick Draine
    Billerica MA
    978-663-9690
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  • 9.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Posted 04-07-2021 09:28
    It appears that a previous tuner slid a too thick temperament strip down between the dampers and strings. Makes tuning easier but can damage the felt if there is insufficient clearance.

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    Randy Prentice
    Tucson AZ
    520-749-3788
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  • 10.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Posted 04-07-2021 09:34
    Sorry. After reading the previous posts I see that mine was redundant.

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    Randy Prentice
    Tucson AZ
    520-749-3788
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  • 11.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Posted 04-07-2021 11:59
      |   view attached

    I have never been a fan of trying to push a mute strip / temperament strip down past and to below the damper felts, exactly for this reason. Operator error.
    That being said, I prefer the center-stitched damper felts because they are less prone to damage, inside and out of the piano. Also, I think they are less noisy, plus they allow half-pedalling.

    If you get the contract to fix this mess and replace the damper felts, you may want to look at the center stitched kind. They are available for uprights as well as grands.



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    Jurgen Goering
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  • 12.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Posted 04-07-2021 12:22
    That's a real pretty set of dampers. Here's a photo that all may appreciate...the client paid five hundred bucks for this piano. Sad.


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    Randy Prentice
    Tucson AZ
    520-749-3788
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  • 13.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-07-2021 12:28

    I was called once to a fairly new Kawai upright and the customer told me all the strings are ringing.  I went.  Mice had set up shop and used all the dampers for a cozy camp!  Under warranty, so all good.

     

    Paul






  • 14.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-07-2021 13:25
    Did not know Kawai warrants against mice camps.

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    Steven Rosenthal
    Honolulu HI
    808-521-7129
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  • 15.  RE: Photos of the felt dampers that are shredding

    Member
    Posted 04-07-2021 14:02
    I agree that using a felt mute strip can do this type of damage . A trick I was shown was to protect the dampers using the cover off a 3 ring binder between the felts and the string after pressing down on the damper pedal. Insert the felt strip mute and push it down with the other cover to a point beyond the dampers

    I stopped using the strip and use a papps mute or even rubber mutes if there i room .

    Its not clear who has been into this piano but it is a mess

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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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