[CAUT] Pinblock strangeness - late reply

[Stan Kroeker]

Dear Gents,

Sorry for the late addition to this thread.  I have just resubscribed 
after many months absence.

During my tenure as Samick Service Manager in Canada (1988 - 1995), I 
counseled many of our dealers and their technicians to employ the 
'wedge' technique on the many Samick grands which arrived with poor 
pinblock fit (at that time).  The technique was the subject of an 
article in the Journal many years ago.

That a full fit of block to flange is necessary remains the subject of 
considerable debate.  Those of us engaged in the full rebuilding of 
grand pianos would not dream of installing a block which did not make 
100 percent contact with the flange (I believe the minimum requirement 
is contact at least every inch) and we all expect the same paradigm of 
reputable manufacturers.

Whether or not this fit has been proven to be crucial to future tuning 
stability, one thing is for sure:  If the fit is perfect, it will never 
be a factor.

To be prepared with a cost-efficient and serviceable repair in those 
cases where the piano presents with a less-than-perfectly fit block will 
make you a hero to the dealer and a welcome friend of the manufacturer's 
service manager.

Now, coincidentally, I am heading out to the workshop to make a pile of 
shavings from a maple plank  ...  cutting wedges for my client's 1986 
Samick grand pinblock!

Best regards from the frozen Canadian prairie!

Stan Kroeker, RPT