Reducing upright piano volume

[Lewis]

Hello,
I would make my 10 year old Bohemia upright a bit quieter.
I've voiced the hammers and really like the tone but would just like to reduce the volume.
I tried putting some very thick cushions between the back and the wall, which worked really well but I don't know if that's ok or not long term.?
If not,I was thinking about attaching a bit of mdf or something to cover the back instead. I'm sure I saw a picture of a piano where somebody on here had done that,but I can't seem to find it now. Any other suggestions?...will those cushions cause problems??

Thanks, Lewis.

[J. Goss]

Hi Lewis,
Try to keep anything you do easily reversible until you find the solution
you really like.
Joe

[David Boyce]

There are such things as sound absorbing acoustic panels. They are used
to alter the acoustic response of conference rooms etc. You could a
couple to a board of thin mdf and position it behind the piano. It
should provide more efficient sound damping than the cushions. You
could do a google search for suppliers. It may lso halp to have an
extra-thick rug under the piano. Ttheoretically, I suppose you could
also lightly stick acoutic panels to the interior of the bottom door, if
there is room.

Best regards,

David Boyce.

[Al Guecia/Allied PianoCraft]

If the piano on a hardwood floor, I would also glue a piece of commercial carpet (cut round) on the underside of caster cups. That would help stop sound transmission into the floor. 

Al

High Point, NC

[Ron Nossaman]

On 10/8/2016 7:16 AM, 'Lewis' via pianotech wrote:
> Hello,
> I would make my 10 year old Bohemia upright a bit quieter.
> I've voiced the hammers and really like the tone but would just like to reduce the volume.
> I tried putting some very thick cushions between the back and the wall, which worked really well but I don't know if that's ok or not long term.?
> If not,I was thinking about attaching a bit of mdf or something to cover the back instead. I'm sure I saw a picture of a piano where somebody on here had done that,but I can't seem to find it now. Any other suggestions?...will those cushions cause problems??
>
> Thanks, Lewis.
>

Install a muffler rail.
Ron N

[Douglas Gregg]

Lewis,

I recently had to quiet and S&S L in our church. I got some discarded foam cushions from an upholsterer for free and took out the 3 inch foam and cut it to fit between the beams. I only had to fill in two of four spaces to get the right volume. It worked great. No fasteners were used. Just cut them to fit tightly. 

Doug Gregg

[Joseph Garrett]

Doug,
He's trying to quiet an Upright!
For that situation I first suggest a heavy curtain or blanket hung on the back of the piano. If that doesn't get it quiet enough then foam or fiberglass bats cut to fit between the posts. IF that doesn't do it then a full back cover. Next, would be to fill the bottom area with foam. Most modern pianos have very little "air holes". They are pretty much a sealed system with the major amount of sound coming from the back of the piano.
 A muffler rail can be installed for an on/off situation which many like.
 The usual reason for wanting that is because of a situation like Apartment living or insomniac spouse sort of thing.<G>
Of course there is always and electronic keyboard with head phones which pretty much takes care of it, but the touch sucks imo.
Best,
joe

Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I
gpianoworks.com

[David Boyce]

On 08/10/2016 23:16, Joseph Garrett wrote:

> there is always and electronic keyboard with head phones which pretty
> much takes care of it, but the touch sucks imo.
> Best,
> joe

Too right. They're useful tools if you're a professional musician and
need to work on stuff late into the night. But for playing or listening
pleasure, they don't cut it.

Best regards,

David B.

[Douglas Gregg]

Joe,. 

He already tried cushions behind the piano so anything less will likely not do. That is why I suggested cutting foam and putting it between the beams similar to a grand. No difference in my mind. The advantage is that you can put in 1, 2, 3, or 4 pieces to get it as quiet as you want . More in front is possible too but may be too much. 

I used them in our church temporary quarters because it is a smaller space, has a maple floor, no carpet,and tin ceiling and no curtains or anything else absorbent and the pianist did not want to leave the L closed. The foam blocks worked very nicely. 

Doug Gregg

[Lewis]

Thank you very much for all the replies.

I will speak to the upholsterer to see if he has anything spare!-I'm sure a tight fit between the beams will give a better result,(and look better than my messy cushions!).

Great idea about the sound absorbing panels too,thanks David. I will look into those. I bet they are very efficient.

The piano does have a muffler rail built in on the middle pedal,which is good,I use it too sometimes but it's a bit too muffled for normal playing. I'm really looking to try and lower the volume without changing the tone too much if possible.

Thanks again everyone,

Lewis.

[Jon Page]

Install some flexible styrofoam sheeting. Drape one from the top, over and down the front of the action (held in place by the lid). Secure more of the foam to this for more sound reduction. Secure a few sheets to the bottom of the keybed to hang down covering the whole bottom area.