I'm sure I tuned it after bending, Robin, but I don't remember having stability problems with it. I probably introduced a kink into the wire, which perhaps moved the bearing to a slightly different part of the agraffe. Well, that's what I supposed, but I have no idea if that's just what happened. Has anybody else done this? (Your shameful secret is safe with me ...) I wouldn't have tried it, but I just got so fed up with the sound. Susan At 12:26 PM 4/1/2006 -0500, you wrote: >Susan wrote: "Sometimes in the bottom of the tenor section, a note or two >will have a >high harmonic beating away, even for soft playing. When totally fed up >with it, I've once or twice (making sure that no one was looking) taken a >small blunt screwdriver, placed it between the strings on the non-speaking >side of the agraffe, and twisted sideways. It felt like a somewhat dirty >procedure, but the noises stopped." > >Susan, was it necessary to tune the affected strings right away?? I am >wondering if you exerted sufficient force with the screwdriver to move the >wire on the other side of the agraffe. That is to suggest that there was >some issue further down the wire that was resolved. Hmmmmmm............ > >Robin Blankenship > >----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan Kline" <skline at peak.org> >To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org> >Sent: Saturday, April 01, 2006 10:27 AM >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Baldwin SD > > >>Hi, Avery >> >>Well, heck, if they buffed the tops of the agraffes ... the whole piano >>should have jumped to attention! >> >>It is hard to figure sound differences by email, but I'll give it a try. >> >>Sometimes in the bottom of the tenor section, a note or two will have a >>high harmonic beating away, even for soft playing. When totally fed up >>with it, I've once or twice (making sure that no one was looking) taken a >>small blunt screwdriver, placed it between the strings on the >>non-speaking side of the agraffe, and twisted sideways. It felt like a >>somewhat dirty procedure, but the noises stopped. >> >>I think, if meeting with simple poor tone quality in the section just >>below the first capo, I might try taking the same (favorite, soft, blunt) >>screwdriver (thanks, Sears) and pressing down on the wire immediately >>behind the agraffe (tuning pin side.) If the sound improves, then I have >>sometimes woven a little tent of bushing cloth through the strings, as if >>they were in the capo duplex, and then pushed it down against the >>agraffe. Well, it's something to try, and does no harm. >> >>I suspect that, yes, you'll eventually want new strings and agraffes, at >>least for that section. >> >>I love a good Baldwin bass sound. Newport's SD-10 has a great one -- >>rich, interesting, easy to tune, not given to brashness in soft playing, >>and the tone never breaks, no matter what sledgehammer-blows a pianist >>throws at it. Bronze. >> >>Susan >> >> >> >>At 09:09 AM 4/1/2006 -0600, you wrote: >>>List, >>> >>>I put this on the pianotech list Saturday PM but so far have only had 1 >>>response. I also want to pick anyone's brain on this list who might have >>>knowledge of this problem and/or the best way to correct it. Thanks. >>> >>>Avery Todd >>>University of Houston >>> >>> >>>Do any of you have any direct experience with an SD-6 #118127 (1952 I >>>was told)? My atlas is >>>at the university. >>> >>>Today, I went to look at one for sale at a store at a good price. For >>>several years, we've been >>>needing one to put into our large orchestra/band rehearsal hall to avoid >>>having to move one into there from our major performance hall for >>>rehearsals of big concertos. >>> >>>It's been refinished and had new hammers (Renner Blues, I think) >>>installed on the old shanks. >>>Graphited knuckles, etc. Anyway, I'm not worried about all that. That, I >>>can handle. >>> >>>My question is, there is a tone problem in the middle agraffe section. >>>(It's so hard to describe sounds in an e-mail.) The dealer kept saying >>>he thought it was primarily a hammer fitting/string leveling problem. >>>Yes, there is some of that that needs to be done. But I believe it's a >>>problem in the agraffes themselves. This isn't a hammer fitting type of >>>sound. It's a distorted/zinging kind of sound. Like a termination >>>problem or something not seated well. There are some agraffes that are >>>not parallel to the strings and I first thought that was the problem. >>>But there are also some with that same sound where the agraffes are >>>lined up correctly. I'm assuming it probably came that way from the >>>factory. And it's only in that one section. I didn't have my tools with >>>me because I didn't expect anything like that to come up, so I couldn't >>>even experiment a little. You don't really notice it all that much when >>>just normally playing it. Just when playing each note individually. >>>Especially with a little power. >>> >>>The piano has never been restrung. Even still has the aluminum wrapped >>>type upper bass strings. But it sounds great. A BIG bass sound! Decent >>>sustain. The only real problem is in that one area. Have any of you run >>>across this? Can the agraffes be straightened a little without removing >>>the strings? My semi-educated guess is that that section is going to >>>have to be restrung with new agraffes. Or at least, "redone" agraffes. >>>They did buff the tops of them, though. :-) >>> >>>This is pre-accujust hitch pins and from the first treble break down, >>>has one single-tie string on each unison. The tech at the store said >>>they could correct the problem, which I would prefer to have done before >>>we buy it but I was wondering if any of you had any ideas? The dealer >>>said he'd pay me to do the regulation & voicing. Which it needs. >>> >>>Am I on the right track about the agraffes? Thanks. >> >> >> >>-- >>No virus found in this incoming message. >>Checked by AVG Free Edition. >>Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.4/299 - Release Date: 3/31/2006 >> > > > >-- >No virus found in this outgoing message. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.4/299 - Release Date: 3/31/2006
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC