Voicing the Accutink Hammer

[Larry Fisher]

Hi Ed and all the rest,


>From: Ed Carwithen <musicman@eoni.com>
>Subject: voicing
>

>Piano is a Baldwin Acrosonic.  Probably about 5 or 6 yrs old.
>
>Tonight she told me that the tone was becoming unpleasantly bright or
>harsh.  She resorted to putting some pillows behind it, because as some of
>her better students played, it would become almost painful.

I've been known to play like that ......  it sells a lot of tunings.
Perhaps if she was a better teacher ....  naw,... how about if her students
would play better ....  naw .... hmmm how about if she were to leave the
room while her students played their lessons .......  uh uh.  Let's see
.......  I know!! Stuff the pillows in her ears rather than the piano!!

>
>Is mere voicing going to help here, or should I do something else.  I have
>considered the Woolite treatment, which I have never used before, but am
>willing to try.  

Alcohol and water.  Rexall, not Everclear, and clean water ..... not
barnyard water.  Too much alcohol and you don't get the effect of the water
doing it's thing.  To little alcohol and the water surface tension is to
THICK to penetrate the Accutink felt.  What you want to do is loosen the
felt a bit on the surface of the hammer.  I run a small bead ....... from a
hypo bottle ......  right along the strike surface.  Blow dry with hair
dryer or a hand held King Kong breather.  What ever's handy out there in
Kattle Phlat.  This can be done with the action in the piano.  Listen to the
results.  Reapply in the areas where it needs more .... usually I leave the
top octave alone.  Dry, listen, needle to level as needed.  I've had this
method last many years on PianoDisc installations.

I'll bet this pianner has Accusnap tuning pins, Accubad fallboard, and an
Accupuke soundboard.  Just curious.

AccuLar

                                    Larry Fisher RPT
   specialist in players, retrofits, and other complicated stuff
      phone 360-256-2999 or email larryf@pacifier.com
         http://www.pacifier.com/~larryf/ (revised 10/96)
           Beau Dahnker pianos work best under water