Tuning Gone Bad: The Outcome

[David Ilvedson]

Sounds like the 2 year interval might be part of the problem...

David I.

On 27 May 2002 at 21:35, Farrell wrote:

> Yes, not really, piano seems to be in one piece, chicken was great.
> 
> I'm just going to lay low on this one and wait until they call -
> either in a week or two because it's way out of tune again, or if it
> holds......a couple of years when they normally tune again.
> 
> Terry Farrell
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Z! Reinhardt" <diskladame@provide.net>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Monday, May 27, 2002 4:26 PM
> Subject: Re: Tuning Gone Bad: The Outcome
> 
> 
> > Have you tightened all plate bolts?
> > 
> > Does the deviation from pitch get worse the farther away you get
> > from the plate struts?
> > 
> > Is there a possibility that the piano is delaminating?  Perhaps
> > running a few well-placed bolts completely through the piano in the
> > pinblock area could help mash things back together again.
> > 
> > Or is the rest of the piano flexing as the plate flexes, as in the
> > wood frame being more for decorative purposes than for structural
> > support?
> > 
> > Now throw that chicken on the grill and open that bottle of wine.
> > 
> > Z! Reinhardt  RPT
> > Ann Arbor  MI
> > diskladame@provide.net
> > 
> > 
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> > Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2002 10:57 PM
> > Subject: Tuning Gone Bad: The Outcome
> > 
> > 
> > Jimminy Gadzookas, that thar' pie-anner's got some problems.
> > 
> > I tuned this 1963 K&C 40" spinet three weeks ago. It was at pitch (I
> > made one quick pitch raise pass in the high treble) and I tuned it
> > to A440. The Pastor calls me a week ago and says the pianist said
> > the piano has gone out of tune in the middle area. I went out there
> > today.
> > 
> > Bass: 2 cents flat. Tenor: most of it 25 cents flat - tapering to
> > A440 pitch at the break. Right back to 20 cents flat in the whole
> > upper treble part. Searched all over piano for cracked plate, lost
> > backpost, etc. Everything seems OK. Then I played 20 questions with
> > Mr. Pastor Sir.
> > 
> > Turns out, the piano was moved the day before I tuned it (3 weeks
> > ago) from the old church building to the new church building. The
> > new church has three major AC units. Only one was going today, and
> > it was nice an cool in there (90 outside). I did not have a
> > hygrometer to measure in the old and new church, but I'm guessing
> > that the old church is very high humidity, and the new church is
> > very low humidity. That may be the primary cause of the plain wire
> > sections of the piano to drop 20 cents.
> > 
> > But the piano was wierd. Bad wierd. I did a normal pitch raise, but
> > the center ended up 5 to 8 cents flat. I did a tuning pass, with
> > pulling the middle part up an extra cent or so to make all work out
> > nice. The top half of the middle section ended up 4 to 5 cents
> > sharp. So I retuned that part back down to pitch. Then the lower
> > half of the middle section ended up 8 cents sharp! What's going on
> > here!?!?!
> > 
> > Then I decided two things: 1) That thar' pie-anner's got some
> > problems; and 2) I had better go the the store and get a bottle of
> > wine and some chicken to grill. So I did. Problem solved.
> > 
> > Sumthin's screwy in St. Loui! I suppose I'll find out more about it
> > next time they call. Oh well, interesting experience. I had never
> > seen a piano change like that because of a presumed humidity change.
> > Or maybe the plate is made of rubber.
> > 
> > Well, that's all I know.
> > 
> > Back to leading keys.
> > 
> > Terry Farrell
> > 
> > 
> >