Heavy touch & no dynamic range

Richard Brekne richardb@c2i.net
Wed, 05 Jan 2000 09:24:31 +0100


Hi John.. One thing you might check... On most pianos there is a screw
on the back side of the action rail between the treble and tenor
sections. The head of this screw sits up against the plate and serves to
make the action a bit more stable. If it is screwed out too far it will
cause the rail to bend outwards. Most often this break area is then
furthest out of line, but sometimes the bend gets "pushed" somehow more
towards the middle.

This screw seems like its one of those little things very often
overlooked when regulating a piano. It wouldnt suprise me at all  if the
piano has been "well regulated" with this screw pushing the action rail
out in the middle a bit. The result would probably be very much like
what you describe.

On the side... if this same screw is screwed into the action rail too
far such that it does not contact the plate, you can often experience
all kinds of weird regulation stability problems. I had big problems not
to long ago with double hits / checking on a Grotrian upright. Couldnt
figure out what the frig the problem was until I thought to check this.
It was out to far and adjustment to fit snug up to the plate immediatly
solved the entire problem, and the "feel" of the action changed
dramatically also. More solid and even.

In anycase.. this is just one thing to check. Good luck ! , and let us
all know what the solution turns out to be.

Richard Brekne
I.C.P.T.G.  N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway

John Lau wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> I have a 5 yr old Steinway upright (model 1098) with a heavy
> touch and a lack of dynamic range. It was thought that the
> touch will become lighter as it's being used and the bushings
> loosen up. But after 5 years of moderate use, the touch has
> not changed much. After numerous regulations and checkings
> with up and down weights, the problem (feel) still exist. The
> piano is located in the basement of a house but in a farily
> constant temperature and humidity environment.
> (16 to 20deg C, 39%-45% humidity)  The piano is in good
> shape and is well cared for. The only exception is that
> the action rail bows towards the front (looking down from top).
> At the maximum, it's about 3/16 to 1/4 in from a straight line
> drawn between the two ends. This is confirmed by looking at the
> rub marks the capstains contact the wipens. Does anyone
> has ideas what the problem is? Any solutions/suggestion?
>
> Your input is much appreciated.
>
> John Lau (Vancouver, Canada)



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