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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6G_FbD3q-Q

I'm curious to hear what you all think about this. Anyone seen/ heard of this before?

Well the first thing I notice is they've got two microphones on the granite bridge piano, but use the camcorder mic for the other. So the pianos may be identical (except the bridge) but the recording apparatus isn't. From this video it is therefore impossible to discern the cause of the obvious sonic difference between the two.

I don't want to knock it because there does seem to be a noticeable outcome with the granite bridge, but there are too many flaws (unless new information is provided) with the overall comparison.

First their is so such thing as two identical 88 and 100 year old pianos, no matter what the brand (these are from 1922 and 1905 it says). The soundboards could be in night and day conditions depending on the environment each piano 'grew up' in.

The microphones used are also interesting why one has them the other doesn't - I would guess that although they are there (on the stonebridge mid and upper treble) I hope they are not actually being used in the demo.

Then you get into hammer voicing which can again, night and day, make a difference in the overall tone and sustain you get out of a piano.

I never heard about a granite bridge but it is worthy of learning more.

I have never heard any piano before the Stonetone bridge example where the higher notes in a chord didn't die out significantly before the lower ones. So I'm not sure that even comparing it to another piano of the same make/model is so critical in order to realize the piano has IMO a much smaller decay and longer sustain than most pianos.

This is very interesting, but there are too many variables to draw a definite conclusion.
Obviously the "miking" of the two pianos is different and the piano themselves are not identical because of their differing age.
The piano player even played the "stone bridge" piano better than the other one.
However, I agree that the so called "granite bridge" instrument does sound beautiful. That could be because of its board.

Thank you Beethoven986,
Robert.

how very interesting.. i love big Baldwins anyway.

One thing is for sure, the bridge will be quite a bit heavier. Is this a good thing? Maybe, maybe not.

It looks like the "wooden bridge" piano looks like it has the original strings, while the "granite bridge" piano does not. That could account for the difference in the sound.

If that type of sustain and tone is due solely because of this 'granite' bridge, it's very impressive. It reminds me of the the Stuart&Sons pianos I have heard online.

This technology seems similar to the Wapin bridge system and the Steingraber/Phoenix bridge system, in that it is trying to improve the termination of the strings to the soundboard.

One thing I did notice, and I am not sure if was because of the mics used and the very live acoustics of the room, but the high treble, 5,6, and 7th octaves seemed overly bright and somewhat too intense in the granite bridge piano. I wonder how that would sound in a normal size living room.

In any case, it's something I would like to hear in person!

I watched the first segment without the sound. The body language is highly suggestive. The player disparagingly dismisses the original piano with a wave of his hand. Then he sits down and hardly touches the keys of the enhanced piano before he jerks his hands up to his face in disbelief in an exaggerated fashion and as if he has never heard the instrument before (after all, it is only a piano). Bad acting.

Not to say there isn't an effect, but it is hardly a double blind test. To be fair, it is not presented as such. At the same time, the merits, if there are some, should be allowed to speak for themselves. For me obvious sales pitch casts a suspicion on the whole thing. Born a skeptic, I guess...

Totally agree. Whatever the merits of this bridge are, it is clear that this presentation is a total transparent contrivance that is highly slanted.

Agreed. This video was a complete waste of time.

Sure it will, but would this difference be significant compared to the downbearing forces that are present in any piano?

I agree about the pre-conceived attitide of the performer.

It would be interesting if they were to invite a member of this forum to audition the pianos. A less biased opinion would be welcome. But even so, as has been pointed out, the two pianos are not "identical" except for the bridge.

Interesting, nevertheless.

The issue isn't downbearing force, it's the impedance of the soundboard system as seen by the string. Both the mass and stiffness of the soundboard strongly affect the string/soundboard response.

The extra mass will increase the impedance and may increase the sustain at the expense of the attack becoming increasingly percussive. Depending on the piano, this may be a help or a disaster.

Hello everyone, My Names Robert B. Di Santo and I am the inventor / owner / engineer of all stonetone technologies.
My piano tech Daniel Koehler owner of naplespiano.com has worked with me from our first prototype.
I see that he has posted just a couple videos on you tube... since we have proved our theories with an old dilapidated piano and brought it back from the dead to be better than new besides out performing anything thats been put side by side as a comparison.
Today I am limited on time to respond but all inquires associated with this thread can be answered if you email or call Dan himself to ask how what and why this is so cutting edge. He would be glad to answer all of your questions.

Anyone who wants to hear the piano next to a stock piano no matter the brand or size you can email Dan @ www.naplespiano.com or call him directly 239.404.8007 Naples florida.

or email me @ stonetonemusic@aol.com or myspace.com/stonetonemusicinc

Have a great day.
Bye now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDTL7CYgArU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idbaPu1gDPg&feature=email

Here are 2 different players and 2 different pianos performing the same piece, the first is Richard Bosworth performing on our Stonetone enhanced 6' 3" Baldwin the other is a stock piano.

Enjoy

Hi Robert,

Good luck with your project. I noticed this quote made 3 days ago with the first video:

Naplespiano: "I have heard many same pieces on the others out there and this is the clearest I have ever heard. Congratulations on your performance and piano with the cleanest sound I have ever heard in the world. Love the pictures and it follows the music well. excellent job. I look forward to more piece by you." Dan

Seems staged, which was the criticism of the marketing of your product earlier in the thread. Maybe let the product speak more for itself and let people not involved with it make the comments, or if they are involved with it, they should identify themselves as such.

This is not a comment on the product itself. Obviously, this is just my observation which is worth double its cost!

Oh yeah, that Rubinstein recording is nice, but Horowitz owns that Mazurka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtHMtLoWudc&feature=related

Why do you need to tell us which is which? If the results are so different, it should be obvious.