capstan replacement on Bohemia 185

[Dean May]

>>Well, they obviously had not been trained and equipped to add six leads to
each key and paint the icky green goo on all the action centers.

 

ROFLOL. Thanks for the gut buster. I needed it.

Dean

Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 

PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 

Terre Haute IN  47802

  _____  

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Farrell
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 11:39 AM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: capstan replacement on Bohemia 185

 

"When he arrived home his Kawai didn't play like those (Steinways)..."

 

Counting his blessings?  (Why am I thinking of Steven Colbert's "The Word"
segment.....)  ;-)

 

"(I was thinking surprise pal you didn't buy a Steinway)"

 

Counting his blessings again? But he did buy a Kawai. Where does the
reverence for Steinway come from? My experience suggests that, without major
surgery, the run-of-the-mill Kawai will play better than the run-of-the-mill
Steinway. I find Kawai piano actions to be much more consistently set up
properly.

 

"...he explained he'd had 3 techs in to make it play more like a Steinway
and none had been able to."

 

Well, they obviously had not been trained and equipped to add six leads to
each key and paint the icky green goo on all the action centers.

 

"When I arrived downweight was 62 grams after 2 & 1/2 days I had it at 52 in
the bass and 50 through the rest of the keyboard."

 

This sounds like nothing more than the fact that the piano had never been
properly prepped. 

 

Good show though, it's always fun and rewarding to bring that much pleasure
into someone's piano playing (especially after dropping $25K - or whatever -
on a new piano!). No doubt it was a rewarding experience for you.

 

Terry Farrell

Hi Dave,

About a year and a half ago I had a call from a city 80 miles north of me
from a gentleman who had purchased a Kawai RX-5 18 months prior. During the
intervening time he had made a business trip to New York and somehow talked
his way into Steinway headquarters and was allowed to play some of the
pianos kept there for visiting artists. When he arrived home his Kawai
didn't play like those(I was thinking surprise pal you didn't buy a
Steinway)he explained he'd had 3 techs in to make it play more like a
Steinway and none had been able to. He then called Kawai who gave him MY
name( grabbing at straws I'm certain, they'd never given it out before)and
he wanted to know if I thought I could, he would pay my time and milage both
ways. I agreed and blocked out 3 days a few weeks off. I then called several
people for advice, I had some ideas but am not an expert on Steinway touch,
just very familiar w/Kawai's. I managed to talk to Don Mannino who among
other things, easing balance rail holes, using McLube on keypins, setting
key height as close to spec as possible(Kawai machines their keybeds very
carefully and key height can make a big difference) mentioned very
specifically polishing the capstans. I took along my Dremel tool and cake of
Jeweler's rouge and along with the other things polished those capstans very
carefully. When I arrived downweight was 62 grams after 2 & 1/2 days I had
it at 52 in the bass and 50 through the rest of the keyboard. The man was
smiling, even when he wrote the check!  

I am a firm believer in polishing capstans, always with a cotton buffer and
jewelers rouge, it is a regular part of my regulation.


Michael Magness

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