Quote:
Originally Posted by mrgraveline
I am not a physicist...
Let me just ask you this... Which is commonly regarded as having more pure tone and less “chaos” as Andy puts it... A long stringed grand piano or an upright with shorter strings.
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I did dedicate eleven years of my life to earn a Ph.D. in physics, after which a lot of people have trusted my insights more than those of others, and even pay good money for them. So I assumed my post would have value for other forum members here. Also note that I am only opening up a discussion here.
So getting back you your question: I fail to see how an equaliser (or bracing for that matter) could make a short stringed upright piano sound more like a long-stringed grand piano. It cannot be done. So I must be missing your point.
I do know that short stringed pianos suffer from distorted harmonics because of the stiffness of the strings. 'Distorted' means the overtones are not perfect multiples of the fundamental frequency. This makes them sound less pleasing in the ears of most people. Short stringed pianos should have lighter (more flexible) strings in order to reduce this effect, which would reduce their volume to an unacceptable level. Hence the compromise. Long stringed pianos require more tension to get the strings at concert pitch, which reduces the bad effects of stiffness, which makes them sound better.
Now I can imagine that by adjusting the bracing of a guitar top you can also adjust its harmonics so that they provide a more pleasing tap tone. This is akin to shaping a church bell in order to improve its sound. Maybe this is what Andy means. However, this is what guitar builders have done for over a hundred years when they tap tuned their tops while shaving off the braces. Moreover, this approach only changes the tone of the top when it is freely vibrating by itself. No matter the tap tone of the top, it cannot correct a poor intonation of the string signal driving it. Just like an equaliser cannot do it either.
So in my opinion it seems like Andy tries to make us believe more than he understands. But maybe I am the one who does not understand things here, in which case I hope someone can help me out.