[CAUT] Advice for achieving stability sooner?

[David Love]

Don't tap pins on bridges.  It won't help with tuning stability.  More
likely it will just damage the bridge cap.  Instability with respect to
strings has more to do with the coil, loops and whether the bends around the
bridge pins and other termination areas have become acute rather than
curved.  String lifting and leveling at the terminations, massaging the bend
at the bridge pins, or gently squeezing the bass string loops (if they're
wide) will help speed stability.  Tapping bridge pins is useless and
damaging, though a lot of people continue to do it.  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Diane
Hofstetter
Sent: Saturday, February 06, 2010 11:52 PM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: [CAUT] Advice for achieving stability sooner?


I just got a contract tuning 9 almost new Kawai UST-9 studio pianos at a
local community college.  The pianos were purchased last year about this
time and delivered directly to the college, through a snow storm, which we
rarely have in this part of the world.  Then they were unboxed in the new
music building, DC heating rods with HD humidistats installed, pitch raised
and tuned (all the same day).
 
Now a year of no service at all has gone by, and I have to get them sounding
decent.  I started one today.  It was about 30-40cents flat.  After a pitch
raise and tuning, I now think it is ready for a tuning!
 
I'm considering doing less careful pitch raises, but doing two of them
before I try to tune.  Have also wondered about tapping strings on bridges.
 
If anyone can give me advice for making the job less back-breaking and
higher quality, I will be very grateful!

Diane Hofstetter 		 	   		  =