Boston Beans

[Z! Reinhardt]

Have you tried using an impact tuning hammer?

I have several of these Boston UP118s in my customer base and yes, some of
them are bears for the same reasons you had mentioned.  The ones that have
given me the most trouble all have one thing in common -- the tuning pins
are not driven into the block far enough.  I've come to some that have had
as much as a quarter-inch, perhaps more space between the underside of the
coils and the plate.  I contacted Steinway about this, and their advice was
to tilt the piano and drive the pins in further.

Now ... does anybody have a way of sweet-talking the customers into letting
the technician do precisely this in their homes on their brand-new pianos?

Z! Reinhardt RPT
Ann Arbor  MI
diskladame@provide.net

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From: Robert Goodale <rrg@nevada.edu>
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Boston Beans
Date: Tuesday, July 27, 1999 7:30 PM

>>snip<<

My specific peeve  at present is the UP118S and the family
of pianos included in this design.  The tuning pins flagpole
all over the place.  The slightest touch and the hyperactive
things change the pitch.  Taping the strings to the bridges
helps to a slight degree but it is not a cure.  I believe
the problem exists in pressure bar design or in the pins
themselves.  This is not unlike many Steinway uprights.  I
could be politically correct about it, (watch it boys,
Steinway is listening), but I think we all have experienced
these damn things.

So... I would be interested in hearing any techniques that
some folks out there might have come up with to deal with
these.  Please, help me regain my sanity!!

Rob Goodale, RPT
University Nevada, Las Vegas