New project: steinway

[JeffLearman]

The sound is harsh in the upper registers, starting about an octave above middle C. Not quite a buzz, but nearly so, and most notable during the attack. It causes an annoying lack of clarity. It's more than just brightness.

 

I suspect it's due to soundboard cracks (but as wmp says, the problem is between soundboard and braces, not the soundboard itself). Or maybe somewhere else in the piano, something's loose that should be tight.

 

I did notice some rattling sounds and found that the lid prop was vibrating against the plate, when the cover is down. There should be a rubber button to avoid that but it's gone; I put a piece of sticky velcro there. Also, the small prop needed a cushion for when it rests in its slot in the big prop. There are a few other things like this, but I doubt any of them would sound so integral to the tone of those harsh notes.

[Joe Muscara]

Yeah. My piano is so old that I have some of those too. For instance, when my lid is closed, the shorter prop, which is inside the larger one, vibrates on some notes. That was easy to find because the conditions where it happened vs. didn't were obvious.

 

Good luck finding yours. Hopefully you'll be able to eliminate several with one fix.