Thanks for your input.
Ray
-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Schmidt, Henry R
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 4:06 PM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] CAUT Digest, Vol 5, Issue 79
Mr. Breakall,
I maintain a Steinway D in a large main concert hall and it had a weak "melody" octave. Professional pianist's who came to play on the piano were never pleased with what they could get out of the instrument and it eventually reached a crisis point when an artist said it was not satisfactory to use. The management started renting a piano for big events and everyone believed a new piano was needed. Meanwhile, I replaced the hammers for a second time ( the first set of Steinway hammers I put on did not work out so well for me!!), and I installed a tone resonator. The new set of hammers I was able to juice up hard enough to bring out as much power as the piano had to give, and the tone resonator really worked amazingly well to take care of the problem with the lack of resonance and sustain in the problem treble ( melody) area. Even though everyone had dismissed the piano as unacceptable, eventually renting became too expensive to do all the time and the Steinway was put to some use again. The major causes for complaints had really been solved and there have been no serious complaints about the piano since the work was done. Now, they don't rent anymore and usually use this instrument for important piano concerto performances.
The tone resonator was pretty easy to install and sure beat the cost of a new instrument!!!
Hope this helps,
Sincerely,
Russell Schmidt - Piano Technician UK School of Music
________________________________________
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of caut-request at ptg.org [caut-request at ptg.org]
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 3:00 PM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: CAUT Digest, Vol 5, Issue 79
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Today's Topics:
1. wax on Steinway D (Paul T Williams)
2. question (Breakall, Raymond)
3. Re: question (Porritt, David)
4. Re: wax on Steinway D (Jon Page)
5. Re: wax on Steinway D (Paul T Williams)
6. Re: agraffe leveling (Fred Sturm)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:13:35 -0500
From: Paul T Williams <pwilliams4 at unlnotes.unl.edu>
Subject: [CAUT] wax on Steinway D
To: caut at ptg.org
Message-ID:
<OFF10794A5.18355C72-ON86257589.005322D3-86257589.00539C60 at unl.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hi Everyone,
Last Saturday, some students thought it a good idea to set something made
of wax (can't prove it was candles) on the lid of one of our Steinway
D's.(1970' or early 80's era with satin-lacquer finish) I'm now to try to
remove it leaving a decent finish on it. It also has millions of
fingerprints. Would something like Simple Green diluted and a lot of
elbow grease be my best cleaning and polishing method in this case?
Another question just for information sakes; The finish on the lid,
instead of the small alligator crackling, has very large and long sort of
pattern similar to alligatoring on it. Causes for this????
Thanks
Paul
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:29:37 -0400
From: "Breakall, Raymond" <rbreakal at richmond.edu>
Subject: [CAUT] question
To: "caut at ptg.org" <caut at ptg.org>
Message-ID:
<DB1DF332AFC21544BA642BA6B7D4654D0E59FF245B at UREXCHANGESCC.richmond.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Fellow techs,
I have a S&S D that has a weak melody octave and wondered about opinions of the "treble tone resonator" that Pianotek sells for a solution to the problem. Thanks
Ray
Ray Breakall
Piano Technician
University of Richmond
(804) 287-6342
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:45:55 -0500
From: "Porritt, David" <dporritt at mail.smu.edu>
Subject: Re: [CAUT] question
To: "caut at ptg.org" <caut at ptg.org>
Message-ID:
<78F73DAE2483A747AD0E4A3BE57169DA175CD5AFFB at SXMBXA.systems.smu.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Ray:
I've heard good things about them but have not heard one myself. I did improve that area of one of our Ds by putting on a couple of Darrell Fandrich's "riblets". I installed 2 between two regular ribs in that problem area. It's a tough area to work on - particularly lying on your back under the piano and probably would be easier with the piano on its side. The downside of that would be hearing the difference the riblet made without putting the piano back on its legs. In this case people who had no idea that I had done anything, noticed the change and commented (positive comments!).
dave
David M. Porritt, RPT
dporritt at smu.edu
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Breakall, Raymond
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 10:30 AM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: [CAUT] question
Fellow techs,
I have a S&S D that has a weak melody octave and wondered about opinions of the "treble tone resonator" that Pianotek sells for a solution to the problem. Thanks
Ray
Ray Breakall
Piano Technician
University of Richmond
(804) 287-6342
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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:47:34 -0400
From: Jon Page <jonpage at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [CAUT] wax on Steinway D
To: caut at ptg.org
Message-ID: <a0624080cc5f6a773e7ad@[192.168.0.168]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
Usually a credit card (fake mail promos) chips off wax without
damaging the finish.
Is your wax in the form of drops.pools or a smear from dragging or imprint.
Dilute Simple Green wiped off immediately works well for cleaning
grime and finger prints
but I don't think it will remove a wax film.
--
Regards,
Jon Page
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:50:23 -0500
From: Paul T Williams <pwilliams4 at unlnotes.unl.edu>
Subject: Re: [CAUT] wax on Steinway D
To: caut at ptg.org
Message-ID:
<OFAD02AC87.614D2E8D-ON86257589.005C6920-86257589.005C78E6 at unl.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
More like smears as if someone tried to "wipe" off the flakes after the
spillage of what-ever kind it was....
PW
Jon Page <jonpage at comcast.net>
Sent by: caut-bounces at ptg.org
03/30/2009 11:48 AM
Please respond to
caut at ptg.org
To
caut at ptg.org
cc
Subject
Re: [CAUT] wax on Steinway D
Usually a credit card (fake mail promos) chips off wax without
damaging the finish.
Is your wax in the form of drops.pools or a smear from dragging or
imprint.
Dilute Simple Green wiped off immediately works well for cleaning
grime and finger prints
but I don't think it will remove a wax film.
--
Regards,
Jon Page
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Message: 6
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:54:53 -0600
From: Fred Sturm <fssturm at unm.edu>
Subject: Re: [CAUT] agraffe leveling
To: David Ilvedson <ilvey at sbcglobal.net>, caut at ptg.org
Message-ID: <6A930793-56B9-464C-880C-637E0E974746 at unm.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
On Mar 26, 2009, at 10:05 AM, David Ilvedson wrote:
> I was attempting to level the strings on a newer Yam C6 the other
> day. According to Goss's leveling device, all the tenor agraffes
> were way off. I tried pulling up the left string to level but
> couldn't make enough of a difference. A bad batch of agraffe
> drilling? I guess in this situation you have to fit the hammer to
> what you've got?
>
> David Ilvedson, RPT
> Pacifica, CA 94044
Hi David,
To amplify a bit on what Joe wrote, usually if the agraffes are
drilled (or possibly it has to do with installation and how the
threads and plate affect the final position) so that the holes are
slanted, you can still get the strings into one plane. Meaning they
slant relative to "level" (the bubble isn't centered), but when you
pluck them, all are muted equally. Then, when you mate the hammer, you
will probably find that you need a subtle slant to the filing of the
top of the hammer. But this is still much better than having one
string higher or lower than the other two. First, you don't have to do
strange custom filing, making some parts of the crown higher than the
other. And second, what you have done should work in una corda
position as well, as the slanted hammer will line up with the slanted
string plane in both positions.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu
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