Steinway console tuning

[Farrell]

I just had to reply to this one. About three years ago, just before I first
got involved in piano technology, I (er, ah, my &*%$ WIFE) bought a brand
new S&S 1098 (we went out that day looking for a good used piano for under
$1,000 - go figure). Several months later when I started learning to tune, I
started practicing on - you know what ........ our brand new S&S 1098.

I had a rough time learning to tune (and I'm just talking about tuning
hammer technique, as I started with an AccuTuner). It was an absolute #$^%
tuning that thing. Finally, after umpteen hundred FRUSTRATING hours
practicing on it, a friend of mine with a little junky spinet said I could
try tuning his piano. I did. Wow, that was an easy piano to tune. After I
started tuning for pay, I got to the point where I was putting a pretty
decent tuning on a piano in about an hour-and-a-half. Then we finally got
rid of out piece of #$^* S&S 1098. I never did a complete tuning on that
piano within one day.

I have tuned right around 1,000 pianos now (even several S&S verticals -
none were fun) and have NEVER run into a piano that put up as much fight as
that new 1098.  A TOTAL BEAST! S&S grands (even brand new - I service
several) are not problem. Why in the world are the verticals made the way
they are? I consider this a design FLAW. (Well, I guess I feel better now
:-)

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jay Mercier" <jaymercier@hotmail.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, May 08, 2000 11:03 AM
Subject: Steinway console tuning


> Last week I tuned a 45" Steinway console dated from the early '60s.  It
was
> the most stressful tuning I've ever encountered in years.
>
> There were many high treble pins that wouldn't stay put - they would
bounce
> around like nothing I've encountered before.  I lowered the pitch just
> slightly, no matter how much I'd overshoot the pitch flat, many pins would
> just bounce right back up!
>
> Equipped with a D.C. unit, and striking the keys very hard, these pins
just
> wouldn't settle.  Pins were tight, no visible problems in the soundboard
or
> bridge.  The owner was getting irritated that the tuning took a bit over 2
> hours.  I didn't want to tell her what I thought of her precious
"Steinway."
>
> Have any of you tuned similar Steinway consoles with similar
circumstances?
>
> Jay Mercier
>
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