Hi there guys, really glad to be here!
I have just bought a Mappo C Tenor from Trinidad [my second steel drum].
I don't know if it's a mentality and I am trying to find faults because I don't trust that it survived the Atlantic crossing without getting knocked about, so take that into consideration if you will.
Basically I find that the inside F note [not the very middle] sounds almost cloudy/muddy compared to the other notes. It's as if it has a very slight distortion on the note.
Is this a common feature of all steel pans due to the way they are acoustically made, or could it be a fault with the pan itself.
See Attached picture
Thanks so much for your help in advance, feeling a little down about the situation.
Alex
Replies
Did you buy the pan directly from Mappo, or did someone tell you it was a Mappo pan. Does it have Mappo's trade mark etched inside the pan? If it is a Mappo pan he can direct you to a tuner in England that he trusts (Dudley) who can fix the note if it shifted during shipping.
Hello Alex.. How are you.I am a very close friend of Mappo. I informed him of your problem. He would like to know if you bought this pan directly from him.,because he does not remember selling you a pan. If you did not purchase the pan directly from him ,please say who sold it to you? If you did buy it directly from Mappo Here is what you need to do. 1) Call Mappo directly at 1-868-358-7511 (2) Write mappo directly; here is Mappo's email address:jamappo@yahoo.com. Mappo and Dudley Dickson are good friends. Mappo can arrange to have Dudley fix the pan for you ....Hope this information helps
Hi there! What a fantastic post!
I bought it directly from Mappo through a contact here in the UK I will send him an email and include the number on the pan itself.
Alex
yea Alex I will strongly recomend Dudley Dickson he is not oly good but a very nice human bieng to know
you are obviously new to pan, it is imposslble to gain advice withn a verbal opinion of your complaint, the pic looks nice great chrome job, neatly built pan, note sizes seems proportionate, one time a guy complained bout his pan, he brought it to me to check out and when I asked him to play it that was his problem, he was not striking it properly, it is hard to tell, the note may have gotten damaged, you may have not hit it the right way that can put a pan out too, the note may not have been locked properly, and location changes may have been the culprit,eg if the note was not locked off before fine tuning it may register nice on a final blend and may pull as the tuner adjusts other notes, and as you play it just slips out,, take it to your nearest tuner Mappo's pans are easily adjusted they should not charge u much, or as hugh suggests play it a bit it may settle back in ,if not a visit will fix that
,,
Hi there Sweet Eustace,
I have been playing pan for around 8 years, this is my first brand new high quality pan, that's why I am asking. So I am not obviously portraying that.
I am going to keep my eye on it, and post a video up in the next few days for you guys for words of wisdom.
Mr. Ridge,there can be many reasons why your note does not sound good. Find a professional tuner to do the repair.While suggestions offered on the forum may work,tuning is NOT theoretical but an abstract (not concrete) science. For example three tuners will fix that problem, but each one will do something different to the other and they all end up with the same result. Do not attempt to do the repair as you may end up destroying neighbouring notes (as many have done trying to blend) and end up in a real mess. I get the impression you are in England, if so your best bet is Dudley Dickson.
I can tell you that pans in boxes and cases are randomly opened and the naive handlers rest them on the sunken area causing damage there and sometimes a dent on the skirting which which it did not leave with and they do not accept.
you may need to get it blend because it may have been knock around a little so don't be too down
some times it happens my alto came from Trinidad and a little touch up was nessary but my alto is a
beauty to listen to when I play it, Just like a piano moving from long distances without proper care can
send some notes out, I hope this helps God Bless.
Winston: Share some of yuh music with the forum, nah. Yuh alto pan is "a beauty to listen to when you play it" so I am waiting to hear it. Cecil eh answer yuh yet on the other posting. To buy a pan and pay for it and anticipate playing it and then yuh have to find ah next good tuner to tune it (always a wild card) is a bit of a painful experience. Depressing, I would say.
But TWEAKING is a part of life!!!
Consider that the playing surface is only a couple mils think... like a hard sheet of paper. Flat, the surface was probably 1.1mm thick at the most. Now, it's stretched to over twice the original surface area.
That said... yes, it could have been bumped when shipped, and it can be played into shape. I would ask Mappo if they have a recommended tuner in your area to give it a quick look.
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