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Little diamonds under the piano!!!

If only.

I am not of German extraction, so I don't know how valuable or collectable these castors are. But the person who gave them to me is VERY connected to the antique business in Berlin and elsewhere in Germany...and wanted to give me a very special present. So I adore them and value them highly.

skyblanche

I can't believe that three glass cups can support 900 plus pounds without breaking.

skyblanche

Lilylady,

I am at that point in life where everything is 30 years old and needs replacing...not withstanding all the technological advances. I'm not sure anything I would record for you would advance the theory...if you know what I mean.

The gift was incredibly generous, as I am told these castors are difficult to get even in Europe and a bit pricey.

I'm sorry my photo was at such a distance,..but it does clearly show that they don't detract from the piano...which is good.

Nobody wants to look at the castors underneath a Steinway.,...or what have you.

The pianos sit on top of a solid maple floor on top of a fir subfloor...so it is already quite a firm base for the sound.

Skyblanche

Hi Lilylady, ..again. (sorry)

I have downloaded (hopefully)the physical surroundings for the pianos in my home in hopes that you can extapolate what effect the castors might or might not have in this environment.

Thanks for the reply. I really am interested in this thread.

Skyblanche

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/skyblanche01/P6022169-1.jpg[/IMG]

Skyblanche,

I am an antique's person. Someone who appreciates the past quality items. Also its quirks, one of a kinds; and the delving into past histories. Which is why I am interested in the glass castors.

Sorry for our hyjacking the thread, but I guess it does kinda continues the interest in the Piatinno's.

I really do wonder if they were made in glass for a musical reason, or for prettiness.

I wonder who else out there has even seen something like this?

Are they special? In my mind...YOU BET! I think you ave a prize there, Skyblanche!

LL

In thinking further on this thread, the following occurs to me:

First, compared to the sound projected from the soundboard (which we all know can rattle everything that's loose in the room!) the sound transmission through the castors has got to be small within the piano room. But the high-force contact with the floor could theoretically transmit certain sounds quite a distance depending on the type of construction of the building.

Neither Larry Fine's writings nor any advertisements I've seen appear make any claims of goodness by that avenue. The main structure of the piano seems to be all about holding things together, not sound, EXCEPT rim construction that sometimes claims to help project sound back to the soundboard, e.g. M&H, or become an extension of the soundboard (Fine's observation of Bosendorfers).

Too, when carpeting is considered, I've not read any concerns about the castors being insulated from the hard floor so much as the possible dampening of sound being projected downward from the soundboad to a soft/absorbant versus hard/reflective surface.

While there seemed to be some concern above that dampening the piano's tone transmission into the floor through the legs could be somehow detrimental, it could in fact be quite beneficial. Unless the structure of the building is expertly designed to evenly transmit all frequencies (highly unlikely!) the effect might be undesireable. It might, for instance, unpleasantly transmit bass tones in the muffled sort of way of a neighbor's stereo blaring rock music - and all you hear is the thumping bass. Thus Piattino isolators could be a real plus.

I'm giving them a try. For those of us NYC dwellers anything can help. I'll report back after going downstairs to my neighbors' place and checking on the difference in sound reduction with the Piattinos.

I've already stuffed sound absorbing insulation in between the braces underneath the soundboard (a tip I learned from a concert pianist here in NY) and it has greatly reduced the volume without taking away from what I hear too much. Keep in mind that my goal is to be able to practice 5 - 6 hours or more each day without feeling guilty about the neighbors and I fully accept the fact that there will be a compromise.

A few months back, I had actually purchased 4 Piattino caster cups from Jurgen (such a nice guy, by the way!) of Piano Forte. These caster cups are very sturdy and nice looking too.

One of the reason that I got these caster was because our house has hardwood floor that is, unfortunately, uneven in spots. The rubber inside the caster cup provided enough give to even out our piano so that we no longer experience that slight wobbleness with our piano.

Thanks for the feedback, MnMsMom.

Yes, one more advantage of Piattinos is to help level vertical pianos on uneven floors. Sometimes, on less than perfect floors, one caster will be slightly up in th eair, or at least will carry less of a bearing load. As a result, there can be a buzzing or rattling noise, or in an extreme case, the instument can actually wobble. Piattinos have just enough give to even out these differences.

Of course, this is almost never a problem with grands, standing on three legs. I say "almost" because there are grands with double legs, i.e. with six casters. I have one at home (Rönisch) and a few more in my clientele (Bechsteins).

Hi all, I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd chime in as someone who has had Piattinos under his Schimmel concert series upright (K122) for the past two years.

Sorry to say, but don't expect much in the way of reducing sound to your downstairs neighbors.

I may have a nut-case downstairs, and no attention may have been paid to noise reduction between apartments during construction, but I'm very near having to get rid of my beloved Schimmel because I can't take the situation any longer. Piattinos, thick carpet under the piano, having the piano voiced down, not playing during the hours that the neighbor requested as quiet time (noon to 3pm and 6 to 8pm, I kid you not!) ; all to no avail. As soon as I start playing he puts his stereo on so loud that my windows shake. Nice guy - I guess his downstairs and adjacent neighbors don't mind him acting out.

As for the Piattinos: they look really classy, just don't expect them to solve noise control problems. (Did I just call it noise?

Hello Andrew,
Sorry to hear of the woes you are having with your downstairs neighbor. It’s a shame that every so often, there are “nut-cases” as you call them, who make life unpleasant and difficult for those around them.

Obviously, with all the steps you took to mitigate the effects of simply playing piano, this person cannot be satisfied. No doubt that if he hated cats, he would be able to hear your cat sneak across your carpet upstairs.

You are probably correct, Piattinos will not cure the neuroses of one’s neighbors.

There is little question, however, of their efficacy in inserting an acoustic break between the piano and the building structure and thereby reducing the sound transmitted into adjoining rooms, especially the ones below.

One client a while back was relocating her piano teaching school into a building which had a Yoga studio directly below, of all things. She wanted six sets of Piattinos for all the pianos in the studios. I myself was sceptical whether or not Piattinos would be up to this task. We decided she would try out one set first. Several days later she called and ordered sets for the remaining pianos.

A high percentage of my Piattino clients live in New York City. They live in older apartment buildings and are serious players, typically they have a Steinway M, L, or O grand piano. Some find me on the web, others, not knowing who to turn to, call the Steinway factory. Steinway refers them to me. Not too shabby of an endorsement….

I hope, one way or another, that you get a new neighbor soon.

Regards,

Auralex has a product called GRAMMA. It is specifically made to decouple the soundsource that rests on it from the floor. Each GRAMMA is a square with a hard plywood top and three channels of every dense foam on the bottom. According to their customer service line each GRAMMA can handle 300 pounds. If you spread that three hundred pounds across the three legs of your piano, that means it should handle a grand piano of up to 900 pounds. Most grands are much less than that. I think you would have to take off the casters to use these as they are rather tall at slightly under 3 inches. They aren't particularly elegent looking, but they only cost about $50. They can be seen at any of several internet musical instrument retailers. Here is sweetwater's link: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GRAMMA/