>>While it is in good shape, at my last tuning, my tuner told me that it was overall slightly flat, and she was somewhat concerned that the pins were not "as tight as they should be" in the pinblock. Since we are in the middle of the heating season in Indiana it is quite normal around here to find pianos pretty flat. If the piano is also going sharp in the summer you should consider a climate control system to stabilize the pitch. The symptom of "slightly flat" pitch does not by itself yield a diagnosis of pins that are loose. It is a common misconception that pianos go flat by pins not being tight enough. Generally speaking this is not true. If a pin is too loose it will release its tension in a large jump, i.e., that particular string will go very flat all at once. You will notice only a handful of notes that are wildly out of tune. OTH, if the piano overall is uniformly "slightly flat", that is indicative of humidity problems or not being tuned often enough. All that said, your piano may have tuning pins that are only marginally tight enough, and perhaps that is what your piano tuner is talking about. Perhaps she is wanting to head off potential trouble. If that is the case, CA treatment might be a good choice, but I would probably wait until it actually is a problem. (We can only speculate here, really, since we haven't actually felt your tuning pins or seen your piano.) If your piano is flat because of excess dryness, that could also cause the tuning pins to be looser. I would start with the climate control system to make sure the humidity is properly regulated. If you still have problems, then do the CA treatment. Blessings, Dean May -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf Of William J Morton Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 3:04 PM To: Pianotech Subject: Pinboard repair on Rippen Grand I am not a piano technician, but just a lurker on this PTG list. I have a Rippen 6'6" grand piano, purchased new by me about 35 years ago. While it is in good shape, at my last tuning, my tuner told me that it was overall slightly flat, and she was somewhat concerned that the pins were not "as tight as they should be" in the pinblock. She has suggested three alternatives for repair of this condition #1 is to inject very thin CA glue in the pinblock next to each pin. She said this could be done without removing the pins or strings. This is obviously the cheapest solution (Less than $100 estimate). I wonder about the long-term stability, however. #2 is to remove the existing pins and replace them with pins "the next size larger". This would of course involve removing the strings as well, and under this option, she said we might be able to reuse the existing strings, although some of the bass wound strings might be replaced. This is estimated as "several hundred dollars". #3 is the same as #2, but would replace all of the strings rather than reusing them. This is the most costly repair; she indicated it would be $1000-$2000. What is considered good practice for a repair of this condition? I value the piano highly and do not want to anything that would damage it. All of the repairs she suggested (except possibly #1) would most likely have to referred or contracted out as the work is beyond her normal practice; this may also affect the choices as I live in a relatively smaller town (Spokane, WA) and I suspect finding qualified restorers will involve either taking it to Seattle (300 miles) or importing the restorer to Spokane. I seek comments on the alternatives from the group. Thanks in advance! Bill Morton --- [Certified Virus free by ASISNA Mail Services. www.asisna.com ] --- [Certified Virus free by ASISNA Mail Services. www.asisna.com ] _______________________________________________ pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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