Overdamping - can it be made more effective

[gremalkin]

hi all, i have a german overstrung upright which is overdamped. it is a great piano in terms of tone and action - but the damping (esp. in the bass register) could be better. there is a tad too much ringing-on after the keys are released.
the felts seem to be in good order and are making contact with the strings.
the faq section suggests that overdampers work via gravity (no adjustment possible there....) so are new felts worth a try? anything else that could be fettled?
cheers
pete

[Barrie Heaton]

If the action has no centre fixing screw then one can be added this will improver damping it often looks like the dampers are in contact with the string but there should be a follow through to give good damping

With overstrung pianos the dampers can be damping one string but letting the other bleed play a note and then touch each string you may find that is just one string that is casing the problem if this is the case then the heads need to be realigned there is a knack to doing this well

Barrie,

[Gill the Piano]

Barrie's right; a decent technician will be able to improve things. Sometimes the action can be slightly out of place, which will make everything ring on a bit - make sure it is securely fastened in against the strings, and that it is seated in place on the keybed. And it only takes one note not damping properly to pick up resonances from a lot of other strings, making it sound as though more dampers are misaligned than is actually the case.
I agree with you; an overdamped piano can be just as rich in tone as an underdamper, particularly if it's one of the better German makes, Bluthnr, for instance. I tune a few lovely overdamped Bluthners that give my (younger) underdamped one a run for its money! Gill x

[Melodytune]

It might also be worth just checking the sustain pedal (particularly if the piano has been moved). If the pedal rod is already touching the damper lift rail withoug the pedal being pressed then the pedal nut may need adjusting slightly to ensure that the lift rail is at its lowest position.

Regards