Can't tune a thing

[Jim]

Hi Leslie:

One time during a tuning class at a Cleveland convention, a blind tuner
was tuning a Hamilton Studio.  He was doing a great job until he got to
a certain note.  Several times he went back to retune it.  Finally in
desperation he said: "It feels like when I tighten at this top end,
someone is loosening it at the bottom end."  I was embarrassed for the
Company and went on stage to try to find out what was happening.  I
found that the beckett was slipping out. During stringing the string was
tensioned before the becket was closed.  This left the becket only
3/4 of the way in the becket hole.  What used to be a sharp bend in the
wire was now gradually widening out because the becket was not seated
properly.  In many cases like this, the becket will eventually pull out
completely.

Another cause for this type problem is when there is a single tie at
the hitch pin.  If the pigtail end is not secured or too short, it will
gradually unwind.

Jim Coleman, Sr.


On Thu, 13 Mar 1997, Leslie W Bartlett wrote:

> Today I went to a school to tune a new piano and inquired about an older
> one which the teacher said went out of tune shortly after I tuned it. She
> said it had gone out quickly the time before, so I had spent a long time
> setting strings, etc.  , I went over the piano again today , finding a
> lot of stuff sort-of out, but not far. Was about to leave and "Pa-paw"
> the custodian caught me. This guy is kinda dumb- like a fox ,in his
> seventies, and plays an absolutely wicked Blues piano.  He said he'd go
> back with me to that piano.  A Baldwin console, school-type.  Notes I had
> "cleaned up" fifteen minutes ago were now half a beat off.  We spent
> nearly an hour on about five notes, tuning them until both of us agreed,
> "That's absolutely right." Ten minutes later there would be a slight
> wobble. The tone, too bright by far, was aided when I filed a few hammers
> just to see what would happen.  But stability in the tuning was
> impossible to achieve. Any help with this one?
>
> Leslie Bartlett M. Mus
> Houston Chapter PTG
> lesbart@juno.com
>