Steinway M problem

[John W. McKone]

Hello List!

I have run into an interesting situation with a Steinway M and would like
some input from those who may have had something similar come up.

The piano is about twenty years old with a teflon action.  I was called in
to take care of some sluggish notes and do a general regulation.  When I
sat down to play, there was a very loud click in the middle of the keyboard
that appeared on a loud blow - the kind of sound that makes you think that
theres a coin or something that has worked its way under the key.

After fooling around for awhile, and not finding the problem, I pulled the
wippen on one of the worst offenders, and guess what I found - the capstans
are mounted well over 1/4 inch too far back on the key, meaning that
instead of hitting the wippen cushion, they are hitting raw wood!

Actually, the capstans are just about half on and half off the cushions,
and since the piano is played rarely, they were catching just enough felt
for the problem to be hidden until now.  Of course the thing plays like a
truck too.

Now the owner claims that no one has ever done anything but tune the piano
until now, and I see no evidence (which would be pretty obvious) that there
has been any after market modification to the action.

I explained to the owner that this was a serious problem that needed to be
addressed, but that the piano was well out of warranty, and (trying to be
diplomatic here) my experience with Steinway suggests that they would not
be willing to go the extra mile to make it right.  I went on to suggest
that since we had already discussed replacing the teflon action anyway, we
could take care of the capstan problem (and any other action
spread/leverage problems that might exist - I haven't explored that far
yet) at the same time.

What HE wants to do is go at Steinway and make them either fix it
themselves, or hire me to do it.  He's talking lawyers Better Business
Bureau, the whole bit.

Now this is definately not a situation I want to get caught in the middle
of, so I told him that I would prepare a detailed report, with pictures, of
what I observe in the action, and what it would take to fix it.   He can
then use that report in any way he wishes.  But I will not be the middle
man in any negotiations with the factory.

I did go so far as to talk to the local dealer, to see if they might not
want to pay for the repair, just to keep this guy (whose a fairly
influential sort) happy. They didn't bite.

This guys beef is legitimate - this is a big factory defect - but I don't
see how he's going to get any satisfaction.

So, oh wise and wonderful list, any suggestions? Advice? Similar experiences?

I await your response....

John McKone, RPT
St. louis Park, Minnesota
(612) 280-8375
mckonejw@skypoint.com