Jahn lever

[John M. Formsma]

List,

Wanted to share my experience with the Jahn tuning lever, available thru
Pianotek. I have been using it for about 6-8 weeks now, and really like it.
It is *very* solid, and there is very little (if any) flex. I did not notice
the difference that much at first, but after using it for 2 weeks, I
switched back to my old lever to compare, and there was soooo much
difference. My previous lever was one of those nice looking rosewood Hale
levers sold by Apsco. I had purchased it around March 1999, and it had
already developed play in it by December 1999 (bad collet). Hence, they are
definitely not the "finest...at any price" as advertised by Apsco. (No
surprise, really. However, it could be due to the nudge tuning style I was
using then, which probably causes faster wear on the collet. The Jahn has a
thick hexagonal shaft, and I doubt that problems will ever develop with it.)

I highly recommend the Jahn. Everything about it has been positive. The tips
are a little tighter than what I was used to which makes fast pitch raises a
tiny bit slower, since it takes a little extra time to get the tip on the
next pin. No big deal, I can use my old lever for speed tuning, and I will
get used to the Jahn as time goes along. It is a touch heavier than the
Hale, but I only notice this when doing pitch raises--fast, repetitive
motions adding up. Even though the price was quite a bit higher than Schaff
or Apsco levers ($235 with one tip), I have not once regretted its purchase.

Since I have not used Keith Bowman's levers (avail. thru Renner), I have no
comparison to them. I was thinking of buying one at the convention just to
see how the Jahn compares to the Bowman levers. Anyone have experience with
both?

FWIW,

John Formsma
Blue Mountain, MS