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I'm looking to see if anyone has any high quality/studio quality recordings with J.D. Grandt bass strings. I'm strongly considering them for my Yamaha G5 and would love to hear some before & after recordings.
I honestly don't think you'll be able to make an accurate assessment from a recording, partly because the microphone does not "hear" the same as the ear hears. Also it varies from piano to piano. In my opinion Grandt, G&C, Arledge, Hellerbass, are all top flight makers. Mapes and Schaff are no slouch either. Schaff bass all the Yamaha original scale data (if interested). All can work from measurements and need no pattern (I'm pretty sure). In my (only my) limited experience, I would suggest that if you are looking for a slightly softer, rounder sound (vs shear power and clarity), Grandt is more likely to achieve that (as well as Hellerbass).
Hi Matt. I bought some J.D. Grandt bass strings recently but have not yet installed them. I'll make some before recordings, and assuming my installation goes successfully, some after recordings and post them. Hope to get this done in the next couple weeks.
Main battle axe: Yamaha N1 Living room axe: 1999 Petrof III Road axe: Yamaha P515 Office axe: 1927 Kurtzmann upright Neighbor's axe that used to be my axe: Kawai GL10 R.I.P. axe: Kawai MP11SE
I honestly don't think you'll be able to make an accurate assessment from a recording, partly because the microphone does not "hear" the same as the ear hears. Also it varies from piano to piano. In my opinion Grandt, G&C, Arledge, Hellerbass, are all top flight makers. Mapes and Schaff are no slouch either. Schaff bass all the Yamaha original scale data (if interested). All can work from measurements and need no pattern (I'm pretty sure). In my (only my) limited experience, I would suggest that if you are looking for a slightly softer, rounder sound (vs shear power and clarity), Grandt is more likely to achieve that (as well as Hellerbass).
Just an opinion that may differ with others.
Pwg
You are most likely correct in your opinion about recordings. I have spent quite a bit of time lately listening (with HQ headphones & nice Klipsch speaker setup) to different studio piano recordings. Of course trying to stick with pianos of similar length. While doing this, I can pretty easily state that my piano needs bass strings. I plan to replace the hammers with factory Yamaha hammers very soon (before I install the action back in the piano) and would like to do the bass strings as well. Now as far as sound, I'm mostly interested in classical music. Such as Chopin, Debussy, Satie...bascially romantic and impressionist style music. So the focus of sound would heavily be focused on deep rich bass with shear power/clarity as a second thought. This all of course limited to what my smaller 6'6" piano is capable of.
I was focusing on J.D. Grandt at this point for a few reasons. Those being that I was initially attracted to the manufacturing aspect of how 'perfect' the strings are. At least this is my understanding regarding the spec and tolerances compared to hand wound strings. In conversing with John, it was easy to tell that customer service and quality products are his focus, which is quite helpful for someone like myself with limited understanding of bass strings.
Originally Posted by Emery Wang
Hi Matt. I bought some J.D. Grandt bass strings recently but have not yet installed them. I'll make some before recordings, and assuming my installation goes successfully, some after recordings and post them. Hope to get this done in the next couple weeks.
That would be absolutely wonderful if you are capable to mic up the piano and record some high quality audio/video files before and after. The crowd here on PW would probably appreciate that as well!
TurboMat,as a piano rebuilder for many years, I am very particular about bass strings. JD Grandt is my provider of choice, and their strings are of very consistent high quality - both of execution and tonality. I always rescale all my pianos using Paulello core wire. I have always had the service oriented relationship with John of which you speak..
I note your description of what you want to hear from your bass strings. May I suggest that you have John rescale your bass strings for you using hybrid stringing and Paulello core wire? You will hear more color and clarity than you would from John's otherwise very fine reproduction of your existing scale.
You will pay more for these strings - the core wire is more expensive and he will charge you for the rescaling, but the tonal results are well worth it. This will pay dividends most noticeably in the low bass monochords for clarity, richness, and pitch definition.
fine grand piano custom rebuilding, piano technician and tuner
TurboMat,as a piano rebuilder for many years, I am very particular about bass strings. JD Grandt is my provider of choice, and their strings are of very consistent high quality - both of execution and tonality. I always rescale all my pianos using Paulello core wire. I have always had the service oriented relationship with John of which you speak..
I note your description of what you want to hear from your bass strings. May I suggest that you have John rescale your bass strings for you using hybrid stringing and Paulello core wire? You will hear more color and clarity than you would from John's otherwise very fine reproduction of your existing scale.
You will pay more for these strings - the core wire is more expensive and he will charge you for the rescaling, but the tonal results are well worth it. This will pay dividends most noticeably in the low bass monochords for clarity, richness, and pitch definition.
William - I very much appreciate your positive feedback on this topic. I do believe rescaling was mentioned at some point in the conversation with John. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of the technicalities of this and what it could involve? The next time I interacted with John, I planned on asking about the Paulello wire as that aspect was brought up in many of the threads I found while searching for his strings.
Feel free to provide any information you can on what I could and should in regards to what information I should provide to John to achieve the best results possible.
This Steinway D we rebuilt has J.D. Grandt bass strings. I think they would be a very good choice for your Yamaha.
Keith - Thanks for the video. The piano sounds absolutely marvelous! As a side note, I had the joy of meeting Noah recently to help with a small issue I had with a flange bushing. He was amazing to say the least. As well, I fell in love with your shop/store! Makes me think I made a incorrect career decision by getting into IT long ago. Noah is going to assist with the final steps of the regulation and possibly the bass strings although I haven't decided how I want to tackle that. Either way, your team is going to be my go-to for anything I don't want to tackle on my own.
Originally Posted by P W Grey
I agree with all the above.
Pwg
Peter - You know how much I appreciate your feedback in some of my other threads. So it goes without saying the level of respect I have for your opinion. The J.D. Grandt strings will be going on my Yamaha as soon as I can get everything else together.
I honestly don't think you'll be able to make an accurate assessment from a recording, partly because the microphone does not "hear" the same as the ear hears. Also it varies from piano to piano. In my opinion Grandt, G&C, Arledge, Hellerbass, are all top flight makers. Mapes and Schaff are no slouch either. Schaff bass all the Yamaha original scale data (if interested). All can work from measurements and need no pattern (I'm pretty sure). In my (only my) limited experience, I would suggest that if you are looking for a slightly softer, rounder sound (vs shear power and clarity), Grandt is more likely to achieve that (as well as Hellerbass).
Just an opinion that may differ with others.
Pwg
You are most likely correct in your opinion about recordings. I have spent quite a bit of time lately listening (with HQ headphones & nice Klipsch speaker setup) to different studio piano recordings. Of course trying to stick with pianos of similar length. While doing this, I can pretty easily state that my piano needs bass strings. I plan to replace the hammers with factory Yamaha hammers very soon (before I install the action back in the piano) and would like to do the bass strings as well. Now as far as sound, I'm mostly interested in classical music. Such as Chopin, Debussy, Satie...bascially romantic and impressionist style music. So the focus of sound would heavily be focused on deep rich bass with shear power/clarity as a second thought. This all of course limited to what my smaller 6'6" piano is capable of.
I was focusing on J.D. Grandt at this point for a few reasons. Those being that I was initially attracted to the manufacturing aspect of how 'perfect' the strings are. At least this is my understanding regarding the spec and tolerances compared to hand wound strings. In conversing with John, it was easy to tell that customer service and quality products are his focus, which is quite helpful for someone like myself with limited understanding of bass strings.
Originally Posted by Emery Wang
Hi Matt. I bought some J.D. Grandt bass strings recently but have not yet installed them. I'll make some before recordings, and assuming my installation goes successfully, some after recordings and post them. Hope to get this done in the next couple weeks.
That would be absolutely wonderful if you are capable to mic up the piano and record some high quality audio/video files before and after. The crowd here on PW would probably appreciate that as well!
If I had a Yamaha grand like yours I would find a tech with experience installing Ronsen hammers. I have a lower-end Yamaha than yours, and replacing the Yamaha hammers with Ronsen hammers provided a dramatic improvement in sound. They also hold their voicing much better.
TurboMatt, there is information about how to provide your scale to JD Grandt on their website. The best thing to do is to take the measurements off the piano, put them into an Excel spreadsheet, and email it to them. (This is what I do, except that I rescale and then send)
You should involve your technician in this. The two of you can take everything you need off the strings in about 1/2 hour. I am assuming that your tech will be installing the new ones anyway.
Roy123 has made a good suggestion. The Ronsen Weikert felt low profile hammers marry quite well with the Paulello sound, and Yamahas in general. A rebuilder friend just redid a Yamaha C7 with all Paulello wire and Ronsen hammers, and it came out glorious.
fine grand piano custom rebuilding, piano technician and tuner
If I had a Yamaha grand like yours I would find a tech with experience installing Ronsen hammers. I have a lower-end Yamaha than yours, and replacing the Yamaha hammers with Ronsen hammers provided a dramatic improvement in sound. They also hold their voicing much better.
I was initially open to the idea of using a different set of hammers. However, I was turned off when it got into the labor side of things. Yamaha pre-hung hammers are around $950. Once I started to look into other options as well as the setups with Carbon Fiber shanks, the prices started to get crazy. Well, in regards to what my piano is 'worth'. With that thought, my plans were to purchase and install the Yamaha hammers then have one of the techs from Piano Craft voice them down a bit if they are too harsh on initial install. As well, the tech I spoke with did say that is probably the best route to take.
Originally Posted by WilliamTruitt
TurboMatt, there is information about how to provide your scale to JD Grandt on their website. The best thing to do is to take the measurements off the piano, put them into an Excel spreadsheet, and email it to them. (This is what I do, except that I rescale and then send)
You should involve your technician in this. The two of you can take everything you need off the strings in about 1/2 hour. I am assuming that your tech will be installing the new ones anyway.
Roy123 has made a good suggestion. The Ronsen Weikert felt low profile hammers marry quite well with the Paulello sound, and Yamahas in general. A rebuilder friend just redid a Yamaha C7 with all Paulello wire and Ronsen hammers, and it came out glorious.
Would you happen to have a recording of that C7? I ask for a few reasons. The first one being because my ultimate goal would be to restore my G5 to a very good playing condition then sell it to purchase a low mileage C7. Basically because I'm not 100% confident that the G5 will delivery the rich dark sound I want to end up with. While that will be several years off, it would be nice to hear the C7 you describe as a good comparison to a factory C7 recording to better understand the hammer and string setup you described.
I will take some time to look up the Ronsen hammers and see what I can find.
