[CAUT] Kawai GE3 mystery buzz solved

[Susan Kline]

Richard --

I've got one of these waiting for my next trip to Linfield
College, which should take place in March. Thanks to
Don Mannino's post to me about the hidden button, written
a couple of months ago, I feel sure that I'll finally fix it.

I've been after this buzz for years, from way back
when it was a little tiny baby noise, shy and
intermittent. Coming back after a few years
away, it had grown to monstrous proportions, affecting
almost the whole piano. A couple of months ago, alone
in the building over a break, I tried everything I
could think of! I got it to stop for a couple of
minutes by some kind of fiddling near the lid
prop mounts, went back to tuning, it started in
just one bass note, then a few minutes later it
was all over the piano again.

This little Kawai grand (which used to live in a tired
single-wide trailer practice area, but on the shady
side) even has little half moons in the board through
the plate holes, where I was rapping hard to try to
figure out where it came from. When my knuckles didn't
give me any results, I sort of lost my temper and
used my fingernails.

>It sounded like it was coming
>from the capo bar, really, or on top of the soundboard. Kind of an eyeopener.

I narrowed it down to the lid prop area, which is,
after all, within a few inches of the stealth
soundboard button. I found that the only thing I
could do to change it was to press the long stick
hard toward the back of the piano, with the lid
down. Then the sound changed, but came back when I let
go. That night I took the whole stick assembly apart!
Worked on the bushings, tightened up the brass rod
going through it all, finally took the whole
stick assembly out of the piano, while holding the
lid up with my shoulder. Then, with it out in my hand,
expecting to find the buzz totally departed, I played
some notes -- and it was just the same as ever! Getting
the sticks back in was really cute, while holding
up the lid at the same time.

When I read your long, loooooooong list of things
you'd tried, I felt a real sense of recognition!
And I also imagined that it was Don's
mystery button, hidden away up there. Glad he told
you about it.

Susan Kline
OSU, Linfield College, Newport Arts Center