Digital players in high end pianos

[wimblees at aol.com]

Not having too much experience working on pianos with digital players, I can't comment on the effects on the action. But in defense of them, (all installed systems), we have to recognize that these units has helped the piano market over all. Yes, the people who have these "toys" are not using them to play them, but they do use them to listen to their pianos. Which means they do need servicing. Maybe not as often, but they do add to our customer base. 

Just a thought. 


Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
Mililani, Oahu, HI
808-349-2943
Author of: 
The Business of Piano Tuning
available from Potter Press
www.pianotuning.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Paul McCloud <pmc033 at earthlink.net>
To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 5:27 am
Subject: RE: Digital players in high end pianos




????Although I'm not an installer, we often buy pianos with pre-installed player systems.? Nearly all of the ones I've had to work on had damper leaking problems as described here.? If there is a pedal solenoid, you can drill the trap lever and install a tension spring on the lever near the solenoid.? The weight of the?plunger tends to push up on?the damper tray, so I found that it helps to add a spring just strong enough to counteract the weight of the solenoid.? One has to tailor the tension of the spring so that it is just enough to cure the problem, not to overload the solenoid.? Otherwise, you'll have to increase the power to the solenoid which makes it likely to make strong "clunk" noises.??

?????Rather than adding a compression spring on the damper tray,? I rather prefer to install it?on the trap levers.? The tray should be free enough to allow gravity to work if it isn't being pushed up by the modified trapwork.?? If you add the spring at the damper tray, the whole trapwork lever system has to "work harder" to overcome the spring.? Better to address the problem earlier in the trapwork chain.

????Another problem area is the junction of the pitman and the underlever.? In many installations, the stock underlever is replaced with a metal one, and the hole for the pitman pin is lined with a rubber grommet to reduce noise.? Often, the lack of clearance space doesn't allow the pitman pin to rotate in the hole, but forces the pin to move in the same arc as the trap lever.? This causes binding? which is likely to hold up the damper tray and not allow it to fall away from the damper underlevers. 

?

????Paul McCloud

????San Diego

?


Paul McCloud

Service Technician for PianoSD.com

www.pianoservsd.com 

Created with free BlueVoda software:

http://www.vodahost.com/partner/idevaffiliate.php?id=9223_1_3_9

?

?



?


----- Original Message ----- 

From: Michael Spreeman 

To: Pianotech List

Sent: 09/24/2008 7:59:22 AM 

Subject: RE: Digital players in high end pianos



Hi Dave,
?
We had one installed on a Fazioli 278 on a customer's request. The customer was actually a good pianist (so, not sure why the system was installed) and eventually paid us to remove the system. The reason for the extrication was that they noticed a difference in the performance of the action with the system in. I think we even installed new hold down dags for the backrail as an intermediary solution. So, yes, it's been my experience that the system does alter action performance.
?
We also used to have issues with damping when the systems were installed on pianos that do not have damper tray springs. With the system, the damper tray would float just enough to make contact with the underlevers. So we would have to go back in and install tray springs.??Eventually, the installer did this as sop.?Both?the tray spring?and backrail? dag installs are a real picnic in a?customer's home.&nbs! p;



??????????????? Michael Spreeman 
http://www.spreemanpianoinnovations.com










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