key width

[Frank Weston]

You might be interested to learn that the width and height as well as length
of Steinway sharps has varied considerably over the years.  Steinway is now
using tapered sharps.  Turn of the century pianos actually used two
different widths of sharps within the octave.

I discovered all of this in my quest for sharps for a 1900 A model.  I
finally had to make them.

Frank Weston


-----Original Message-----
From: Wimblees@AOL.COM <Wimblees@AOL.COM>
To: Pianotech@ptg.org <Pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Friday, January 28, 2000 10:36 AM
Subject: key width


>I tuned a Steinway L and an August Forster piano yesterday. The client made
a
>comment about the key width differences between the two of them. So I
>measured and sure enough, there is a difference. The ivories are the same
>width on both pianos, but the ebonies on the Steinway were about 1/32"
wider
>than the Forster. The gap between the keys on the Forster, however, was
about
>1/64" more than on the Steinway. The over all effect, though, was that the
>Forster key spread was narrower, which she had to get used to,
>
>Not being a piano player, I would never have noticed the difference, but
has
>anyone else ever heard of this? Are there other pianos out there with
>narrower, (or wider) than usual key spreads?
>
>The Forster was made in East Germany, and the polyester finish on it is
>cracking, as is the finish on the soundboard.
>
>Wim
>