[CAUT] Kawai GE3 mystery buzz

Richard Adkins RADKINS at coe.edu
Wed Feb 25 06:39:33 PST 2009


I'll bet one of your Kawai experts can help me with a myster buzz
around C6. Well, it is ON C6, but also a few notes above and a few
notes below.
 
To me, is sounds like a buzz from a crack but it might be described as 
a kazoo sound....but not papery, exactly. I'm told it has done this
for quite a while, but they never mentioned it to me until this week!
 
I've never heard it when I tune.
 
 
 I spent about 1.5hrs trying to track it down. I have tightend all screws 
on the entire piano, including the lid, etc. Most were very tight, and only
a few were slightly not tight. I air blew the board incase there
might be a paperclip under the plate, etc. NOPE...not there.
 
 You can hear the buzz from under the piano, but it is loudest in the area
around C6 above the piano. It is either around/near the capo, but
sounds like the board.
 
 I tried the bridge pins....nope, the front and back "duplexes". NOPE.... The backs are muted
by felt, anyhow. I tried: the strings near the tuning pins. Seating strings to bridge.
Muting off duplexes. I tightened the damper guide rail screws...but also tried pressing
said rail when playing the buzzing notes... NOPE....
 
Yes, I removed the music rack, tested the prop sticks, and hinges, prop stick cups, too... nope....
 
I tested the damper tray, the sustenuto lever and the lever jack. NOPE
I tested the pedal lyre holding rods, nope....all the trap springs are muted
with felt...nope....
 
As I said all the screws were tightened, including the action screws, the
damper stop rail, the damper tray screws, the damper lever flange screws
etc. Every screw I could find, I tested to be sure it was tight enough, including
screws in the keybed.
 
I tested the bridge pins, front and back....NOPE....seated strings front and back, too...NOPE....
 
I reshaped C6, did some shoulder voicing... NOPE....
 
Nothing I'm doing seems to work.
 
Maybe it is coming from the capo bar? If there's bleed through, how come it doesn't go away if 
I mute it off?
 
There are no cracks in the board, and the bridge seems to be securely glued.
 
I did not feel any buzzing from under the board when pressing the ribs, they
all seem to be glued properly. But it is hard to get in there all the way. I tried
damping the board with my fingers, but that didn't do anything.
 
I thought I might try lifting the strings on both sides of the capo bar. That's about
the only thing I didn't do.
 
De-tuning the unisons did not work to eliminate this buzz/fuzz either.
 
Why does it sound like it's the board? or something under the plate near
the front duplexes?
 
I believe it is still under warranty. Ser# 2328919 (1998) but just barely!
 
If you have some ideas, I'd appreciate your help, it is driving the profs nuts....and me, too, since I'm
the one who has to find/fix it. I'd like to turn this nope to a yup!
 
Thanks,
Richard  Adkins
Coe College Music Dept.
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