Lost Motion and Touchweight

[Alan R. Barnard]

An idea ...

Have the customer play a few keys, say C40 to F45, as they are now; explain
what you did last time and that it was all you did (show your visit notes);
back off the capstans just on those notes, have her play them; etc. If she
likes to get the key moving with a little slop before the jack engages,
explain the trade-off of action speed, etc. Let her make the choice. If she
is hesitant, maybe suggest that she play the piano, as is, until the next
tuning to see if she becomes accustomed to the feel and will maybe prefer
it--but I wouldn't suggest that until you've let her experiment as above.
Again, I'd like the customer to make the call whenever we're doing things a
little different than the book says.

Just my $.02

Alan R. Barnard
Salem, MO
----- Original Message -----
From: "Patrick C Poulson" <pcpoulso@pacbell.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2002 7:03 PM
Subject: Lost Motion and Touchweight


> Hello all: I got a call today from a customer whose Knabe console I
serviced
> at the end of July. She complained that something I did has made the piano
> have a very heavy touch, not only to her but to her husband, and she wants
> it put back to its former condition. I looked up my record on the piano
and
> saw that aside from tuning it I adjusted the lost motion.  I have never
had
> anyone complain about the piano having a heavy touch after having the lost
> motion adjusted. My experience has been that the piano plays better, and
> previous tuners may have been ignoring the need for the lost motion to be
> taken up.  She says that she has had it maintained by well respected
> technicians where ever she has lived, the last one being the technician
for
> a Steinway dealer. She has moved out of his service area, which is why she
> called me.  I am at loss to figure out how taking up the lost motion could
> make a piano have an uncomfortable heavy touch.  My guess is that she had
> grown accustomed to playing an out of adjustment action, and that a proper
ly
> adjusted action with a firm touch feels "heavy" to her.  I have an
> appointment tomorrow morning to check the piano over and do what is
> appropriate to satisfy her, but I'm scratching my head as to how to put
the
> piano back out of adjustment in order to satisfy her. Has anyone run into
a
> similiar situation?  My notes do not mention any sluggishness or tightness
> in the flanges, and she says she noticed this change in the touch
> immediately.
> Thanks, Patrick Poulson, RPT
>