Plate Substitution

[Dempsey Jr., Paul E]

>Hi Paul,
>Sounds suspect. Did it have vertical hitch pins? The 1936 plate
wouldn't, 
>but an eight year old replacement would.

Yes, It does have the vertical Accu-just hitch pins

(snip)

>Not good, but not necessarily the problem. Is it tuned by someone who
knows 
>what they're doing? How does it go out of tune - unisons, low tenor,
killer 
?octave, high treble??? Is the piano sitting in direct sun, or have a
nearby 
>heat register blowing hot air on it?

It has been tuned by two other RPT's recently. I tuned it yesterday and
am going back
to Charleston ( that's where the piano is-50 miles up the road) next
week to see
 how MY tuning fared. It was mostly unisons, the worst in the A-49 thru
C-64 range.
When I tuned yesterday the piano was 3-4 cents SHARP. Outdoor temp was
low 30's with
light snow. I measured RH with a sling psychrometer and it read 47%. No
direct sun,
no registers of any ilk.

(snip)

>>I don't see anything here that would make the plate the culprit, but
I'd 
>>expect a new board, block, bridges, fixing that rim separation and
getting 
>>everything back to where it belongs will help. I still suspect 
>>environmental reasons for the tuning instability too.

One other thing I didn't mention in my first post is that I found a
plate lag bolt,
the one in the extreme right front that was not snugged down to the
point that the flat washer
and the lock washer both would spin.
Should this project proceed, and while the board is out, do you see any
benefit in modifying
or adding to the bracing etc. Re-inventing the wheel so to speak. I've
already told the church
that regardless of what else is going on they have a climate control
problem they will have to address.
There is a 10-15 year old Yamaha C7 right next to the Baldwin and tuning
stability is some better, but not much. 

Thanks for your prompt response.

PD



Ron N



Paul E. Dempsey, RPT
Piano Technician Sr.
Marshall University
Huntington, WV