Steinway Sostenuto

[David Love]

My colleague claims that the sustain pedal is limited in movement.  I
suspect that the system is adjusted so that the blade is over rotating and
when releasing the damper pedal, the tabs are dropping the blade from a
very high position.  But I haven't seen the piano.  The customer doesn't
want to pay someone to come out if they can't fix it.   I guess that's
fair.  And though I'm usually tempted by such challenges, it's a busy
month, so I'm less inspired.  

David Love
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net


> [Original Message]
> From: Mark Dierauf <mark@nhpianos.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 9/22/2003 8:09:24 AM
> Subject: RE: Steinway Sostenuto
>
> Is it possible to limit the throw of the sustain pedal so that the sos
> tabs exert less pressure on the rail? 
>
> - Mark
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Love [mailto:davidlovepianos@earthlink.net] 
> Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2003 11:30 PM
> To: Pianotech
> Subject: Re: Steinway Sostenuto
>
>
>
> A stronger sostenuto spring would simply push the blade past the tabs
> sooner (as the sustain pedal was released), the noise would still occur.
>
> The blade, according to reports was not going too far up, evidenced by
> the
> noise being made consistently as the action was pulled incrementally out
> until the sostenuto no longer engaged at all.  The sequence of events
> is:
> sostenuto down, blade turns up; sustain pedal goes down, tabs go up
> under
> the blade and the collective spring tension of the tabs holds the blade
> up
> even when the sostenuto is released.  Then when the sustain pedal is
> released, the blade slides down the tabs until such a point that it lets
> go: KTHUNK.  Would the noise be lessened if the sostenuto were adjusted
> so
> that the blade was engaged by the tabs at the bottom most possible
> position
> of the blade so that when released, the blade would have the least
> amount
> of travel remaining to achieve its rest position?
>
>  David Love
>  davidlovepianos@earthlink.net
>
>
>  > [Original Message]
>  > From: <A440A@aol.com>
>  > To: <davidlovepianos@earthlink.net>
>  > Date: 9/21/2003 6:45:13 PM
>  > Subject: Re: Steinway Sostenuto
>  >
>  > David  writes:
>  >
>  > << NY Steinway, c 1950.  Hinged sostenuto tabs.  Push down the
> sostenuto, push
>  > down the sustain pedal, release the sostenuto, release the sustain
> pedal,
>  > KTHUNK.  Normally this occurs on pianos with tabs that are not
> flexible,
>  > but not on with flexible tabs.  Regulation of the sostenuto does not
> seem
>  > to be the problem, though I was not there.  Thoughts? >>
>  >
>  > Weak sos. spring and or the blade is going too far up and in.  The
> cumulative 
>  > strength of the tabs is holding the sos. blade in place until you
> begin 
>  > releasing the damper pedal and then the whole sostenuto action is
> snapping back to 
>  > its rest position.  
>  >  ( I think). 
>  > Ed Foote RPT 
>  > www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/
>  > www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
>  >  <A
> HREF="http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/399/six_degrees_of_tonality.html">
>  > MP3.com: Six Degrees of Tonality</A>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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