buff stop
musical instrument device
Also known as: lute stop
Quick Summary
A "buff stop" is a device on a harpsichord or piano that partially dampens or muffles the sound. This is distinct from a "buffer stop," which is a safety device at the end of a train track. In the context of musical instruments, particularly organs, a "stop" is a mechanism that controls the air supply to a set of pipes, thereby influencing the tone color. These stops can be unison, mutation (sounding at higher pitches), or mixture (combining multiple ranks of pipes).123
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