In the "5-10 Kawaii @ auction........... " thread, some people talked about scale, what is it?
zorro

Zorro,

Here is an excerpt from what Larry Fine says about "scale" in "The Piano Book":

The musical design of a piano (as opposed to its cabinetry) is known as its scale design. In its everyday usage, this term usually refers just to the stringing scale -- that is, the dimensions of the strings (length, thickness, tension) and their arrangement across the plate; but in formal usage, it also includes such factors as the point on the strings contacted by the hammers and dampers, the placement of the bridges, and the construction of the soundboard, to name a few. The scale design is like the "genetic code" of a piano. It is a principal determinant of piano tone, and it differs from one piano brand and model to another.

And may I add, another factor in scale design is the materials used to manufacture the strings, which can be of varying degrees of hardness.

Furthermore, even though some top-tier piano builders are incorporating "computer designed" scales in their pianos, hinting at some hitherto unattainable degree of perfection, the whole issue is one of endless variation, because scale designs are ultimately aimed at producing a desired tone...a goal which can arbitrarily vary from builder to builder, country to country.

What sounds wonderful to one set of ears sounds absolutely unpleasant to the next, so different scale designs abound to suit different tastes and needs.

-Jimbo