Lost Motion and Touchweight

[Don]

Hi Clyde,

Why do you consider it unethical to satisfy the client? It would make me
feel bad that I had not "educated" them well enough but it is "their" piano
not mine. If they are more comfortable with it "not to specs" then go for it!

Hi Patrick,

As to the heavy feeling -- it may also be that there are "dimples" in the
whippen felt. Idealy capstan to whippen should be involute--but it is not
often so and the older the action the more likely the dimple is too deep.
Steam and a wet cloth will do marvels for a time--perhaps long enough for
the client to adjust to the changes.

Best of luck tomorrow! May the tuner Gods go with you (and the techie ones
too!)

At 08:46 PM 9/3/02 -0400, you wrote:
>Patrick,
>
>I adjust the lost motion with some degree of regularity, but I never got the
>response you did.  It does seem logical, however.  When you've taken out the
>appropriate amount of lost motion, the far end of the key starts working
almost
>immediately, unlike before.  This could very well be causing the heavier
touch
>as she perceives it.
>
>What to do?  That's a little tougher, since it seems unethical to throw the
>piano back out of regulation to please the customer.  But it's her piano
and we
>want to please our clients.  I don't know how involved it would get to
leave the
>lost motion as you have it and work to lighten the touch other ways, and
having
>done that she may *still* be unhappy.  I think I would probably just undo the
>work and be done with it.  Certainly a predicament, though.
>
>Regards,
>Clyde
>
>Patrick C Poulson wrote:
>
>> 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
properly
>> 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
>
>
>

Regards,
Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T.

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