Tuning a concert piano with humidity control

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

At 22:15 3/8/2005, you wrote:
>Dean, that's a great idea!
>Joy!
>Elwood
>
> > On a stage piano I take care of I actually installed a retractable cord
> > reel under the piano. Worked great.
> >
> > Dean
> > Dean May


Good idea, yes, but after watching folks around here... ;-{

The piano gets moved/repositioned a lot w/o people unplugging it, or they 
unplug it, let the cord drag and run over it.

After the original cord showed bare wire in a couple of spots, I shortened 
the cord to just long enough to have a strain relief coil and got a few 
extension cords.  As the extensions (also with strain reliefs) get run over 
and show copper, I replace them rather than either having to rewire or 
replace the humidistat.  Trust me: a plugged in humidistat will NOT stop a 
concert grand piano being rolled across a stage.

Right now, one of the piano professors is making a velour stuff sack for 
that extension cord which I will hang on the flat side of the piano using a 
hinge. This will get the wire out of sight for recitals and avoid my 
replacing the heater rod brackets which get broken when someone stuffs the 
cord up under the s/b using the rods as sopport. (and, of course, 
"forgetting" to replug after the recital)

I'm hoping that the stuff sack, being visible when people are replacing the 
cover, will remind them to plug it in.

Thyme will tell, Will Tel...









Conrad Hoffsommer, RPT, MPT, CCT, PFP, ACS, CRS.
Decorah, IA

- Certified Calibration Technician for Bio-powered Digitally Activated
   Lever Action Tone Generation Systems.
- Pianotech Flamesuit Purveyor
- American Curmudgeon Society - Apprentice Member and Founder