A noise I hate

[ahmedito]

I HATE the noise that dampers make when brushing against the strings. It bothers me greatly. Kawais have this problem worse than other pianos. Is there any way to get rid of it?

[Axtremus]

Upright? Grand? (What model?)
New piano? Old piano (how old)?
Ever discuss this with your tuner/technician (what does he/she say) ?

[c18cont]

The best felts, I have heard(?), are quietest...

but I don't know what you have to buy to get it, nor what effect the angle on the dampers may have on it...Maybe a builder can tell us..(?)

I can say it did bother me at times, but I look at it as just an extra authentic sound now...it doesn't bother me much now.

John Cont

[Brian Lawson, RPT]

Yes, I have experienced it with Kawai grands, but not the most recent millennium models, perhaps they changed the source of felt. A tech has to trim the felt to minimize the whoosh. Or, just change the felt - it occurs with the clip felt in the mid section

[ahmedito]

Well, Im actually in a conservatoire and out of all the pianos, only the kawais have this problem without exception, I was meaning to talk to the school tuner-technician about it, but first want to find out if its something normal or if it can be fixed.

[c18cont]

WOW...

I find this of interest as the piano in question for me is a Knabe 6' ..don't know the #..a friends wife owns it.. (it is new last fall) ..., and I go over to play Mozart Sonatas..(one piano, four hands) and I noticed it right away...

It then, MUST be louder on the Knabe, or I would have heard it on other makes I have played recently, seems to me, as I am looking for a new small grand...

Thanks,   John Cont

P.S.  Everyone picks on me for going over to play with my friends wife.... (Love the cross-hand passages...)

[hrschlosser]

First I'd make sure if it is really the dampers touching the strings which make that noise. Sometimes also the damper wires make noise when going through the damper rail. In that case I have sucsessfully polished the damper wire which reduced the sound. If it really is the damper I've read a tech suggesting teflon powder on the damper felt. I have no experience with this, but I don't think the teflon powder would do any harm, in worst case this wouldn't solve the problem. So I think I would try this before I'd replace all dampers (or all damper felt).

Best regards,
Jens

[iumonito]

WOW...

I find this of interest as the piano in question for me is a Knabe 6' ..don't know the #..a friends wife owns it.. (it is new last fall) ..., and I go over to play Mozart Sonatas..(one piano, four hands) and I noticed it right away...

It then, MUST be louder on the Knabe, or I would have heard it on other makes I have played recently, seems to me, as I am looking for a new small grand...

Thanks,   John Cont

P.S.  Everyone picks on me for going over to play with my friends wife.... (Love the cross-hand passages...)

Sorry John, but I have to tease you about this (I hope is a harmless tease, as I am sure is all very clean), do you guys play any Brahms?

[c18cont]

In Fact,

We have many things planned... and that includes Brahms. Actually, we have hardly begun looking at possibilitys... ...

She is actually hard to grade, but was G five as a teen, and has continued on her own quite well for 30 years.  I f you have favorites, please make a suggestion.

She does prefer the more structered material like the Classical period..Don't think, for instance, she would much care for the modern idiom's.

Thanks!  John Cont