Stephen, Thanks for the response/clarification - and for not being defensive. Your post was thoughtful and descriptive. My apologies if I seemed a terse or short. IMO I just felt that the suggestions you presented were not appropriate for common practice. And, thanks for the PDF. Best, William R. Monroe > Dear Bill, > > Thank you for your constructive and very valid criticism. > > In my defense, I should point out that I am not a piano technician, but > very > interested in your exciting profession which I consider 'Surgery of the > Piano'. The arrival of the piano tuner/technician in my home, was always > anticipated with great joy, as it is in most people who really play the > piano, rather than using it in their living room as a piece of furniture. > There is an improvement of the quality and joy of life of every pianist, > professional or amateur, between these visits. > > I am retired and presently a semiprofessional concert pianist. > I have two pianos. A Yamaha C7, in superb shape, and a six foot Bluthner > built in 1911. > The Bluthner was my 8th anniversary present from my father in 1945. > It traveled across the ocean, and found it's place in the family room of > the > lower level of my house. > It's action is ancient, and I believe that it is a modification of the old > Erard actions. > Since I bought the C7 Yamaha in 1980, I practically did not touch the > Bluthner until two years ago. To my surprise, I found great pleasure in > playing again on this old action, after playing for 20+ years exclusively > on > my wonderful newer Yamaha. However the piano was out of tune, and the > action > very light, and uneven. > Since my regular piano tuner and technician, a lovely talented man passed > on > from a rare form of laryngeal cancer, and since I had plenty of time to > spare, I decided to learn to tune and regulate my pianos myself. I got the > excellent Yamaha Video on Regulating the Yamaha Grand in 37 steps, and > Reblitz's book on Piano rebuilding, etc. > > It took me however a good while to find the page on the internet (from > Bluthner) on how to regulate this ancient action. Gradually and slowly I > replaced all the leather parts (of the 'abstract', a term used by Bluthner > for what corresponds to the 'nuckle' in the Renner mechanism), the key > bushings, center pins etc. > The bass chords were corroded, I unhooked them, coiled them to loosen the > corrosion, and cleaned them with wool wire, allowing them to regain their > beautiful sound. > I also got a Cybertuner, and raised the pitch gradually to A440, and since > I > practice a lot on it, I continue tuning it at least once a month. I have > stabilized the environment (especially the humidity keeping it stable as > much as I can between 40 and 50). > > Finally in a most unscientific way, and a way that could not be used > except > in one's own piano discreetly I made the touch firmer by the methods > described above. > > The old Bluthner mechanism does not have any aftertouch, the jack is > released as soon as the key is pressed. (unlike the Yamaha C7). This does > not make it at all feel like a weighted keyboard electronic piano as one > might expect, in the contrary it gives it a very sensitive and pleasant > touch albeit a little less rapid than the Renner mechanism. Therefore the > action regulation concerns only the 'touch'. > > Concerning the weights, I did get a set of weights from my piano parts > supplier, but they totaled only 52 gms, and this was the reason I used the > nail polish bottles to go up to 60 gms. I could have done this from the > beginning. > As far as using a heavy or medium size nail taped to the shaft > longitudinally with masking tape, it is very reliable and effective if one > forgives the fact that it looks a bit funny. It can be done and undone > quickly, and may serve as a substitute if no clips are available. It works > as well. I could not find a place on the internet to order the clips > needed > to clip on the shank, otherwise I would have done it. > The Bluthner piano sound is now wonderful, (even more beautiful than the > Yamaha) except for a rather weak bass section, because of it's 6 foot > size. > > I am attaching a PDF on this email with instructions for regulating the > old > Bluthner action. It includes a picture of the action, that may prove > interesting to any technician faced with the task of rebuilding/regulating > a > similar old (pre Renner) action. > > Finally as a retired Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, I > apologize > for addressing a professional group of RPTs, and mentioning some of my > primitive ideas. I should add that I enjoy very much reading your emails, > as > I learn a lot. > > I am planning to attend again the NAMM show in Los Angeles in two months, > to > learn as much as I can, while trying the pianos. Last year I met at the > show > Paolo Fazioli, was very impressed with his pianos, and used one in a > recital > I gave in Paris last May. > > All the best, > Stephen C. Papastephanou > > On 11/16/06 5:30 PM, "William R. Monroe" <pianotech at a440piano.net> wrote: > >> Oh My, >> >> Where to begin? As this is a list for technicians exchanging ideas and >> information regarding piano technology, I would suggest that these ideas >> may >> be a bit out of place. >> >> The nail idea, valid in a way, would be (perhaps) more appropriate if >> there >> were a decent way to attach the nails. Masking tape, holding nails on in >> the action is a disaster waiting. Instead, why not use the clips, as >> suggested before, or, better yet, get some lead and add it to the hammer >> molding. >> >> Adding felt to achieve premature engagement of the damper underlevers, >> again, valid in a way, is not really addressing the problem properly. >> Now >> you have to raise the upstop rail to compensate for the added lift by the >> key. Just gets worse....... >> >> As far as the nail polish containers go, must I? Please just buy a >> decent >> set of gram weights so you don't have to recalibrate every time you use >> them. >> >> If you are getting paid to work on pianos, you should reasonably be >> expected >> to have appropriate tools and information. If you're fiddling with your >> own >> piano, do whatever you want, but don't complain when you hire a >> technician, >> and they charge you to undo your work and then do proper work. >> >> AND, none of these may be the proper fix for Brett's situation. He >> really >> needs to do some basic diagnostics first (UW, DW, BW at least). >> >> Best, >> William R. Monroe >> >> >>> Some easy to accomplish suggestions to correct a light touch. >>> >>> 1) An easy and quick way to increase the weight of the hammers, is to >>> tape >>> a >>> large nail with masking tape on top of the shaft, with the head almost >>> touching the hammer. >>> I did this on my Bluthner, and increased the weight of the hammers (as >>> weighed individually with an electronic scale used for mail) from 0.3, >>> to >>> 0.4 ounces. >>> A smaller nail can be used as this is quite a drastic increase. >>> The resulting touch was much heavier. However this put a lot of strain >>> on >>> the repetition spring, changing the touch too much, and because of this >>> I >>> decided to undo it. The whole process can be done, and undone very >>> quickly, >>> and the resulting weight increase measured accurately. >>> >>> 2) I elected instead to tape a piece of thin felt (from a sheet with >>> adhesive backing costing .99/sheet in any crafts store), in the back of >>> each >>> key, on the damper lever key cushion, (at the point where it raises the >>> dampers), in a way that the dampers are lifted almost immediately as one >>> presses the key, thus giving a beautiful firm touch to the action, by >>> using >>> the weight of the dampers thus increasing the resistance and resulting >>> in >>> a >>> heavier touch. >>> >>> As far as measuring the key resistance with weights, the easiest way to >>> do >>> it, is to use a small bottle of woman's nail polish that would fit on >>> top >>> of >>> a key, after weighing it and removing or adding polish to the desired >>> weight. One can prepare two or more bottles with a premeasured desired >>> weight. >>> >>> Stephen Papastephanou >> >> >> >> > > -- > > >
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