Jim, Thanks for your thoughtful post. It's good to hear from you again. I have to admit one thing that I didn't want to. This was the first restringing job that one of our students here did, and I let it get by. He had helped me with broken strings on pianos for months, so I thought he would do well. I was disappointed when I saw the pins, coils, etc. but thought it was probably OK for his first job. "My bad". I didn't teach him well. And I didn't take the time to straighten them out. You're right, that could well be an issue except... it had the same problem before! And the same felt. Last night I spoke with the person (I won't mention names) who did the first restringing and showed him the pictures Ron sent me of the M. He was taken aback. This tech didn't think the felt was an issue, and has restrung lots of pianos that way. We both think Ron's M's are how we will do it from now on. Makes sense. All in all I think it was just a job that I want to redo. I've never been happy with it, and the instability made it dreadful to use. To answer about the wedge, that I did put in myself as I did the pinblock. I'm confident it's OK and that the block is good. The tone resonator, according to Rick Baldassin, shouldn't be a problem as far as tuning stability goes. It seems to be adjusted/set properly. The bridge pin angles aren't excessive, and don't exert much side bearing. I didn't recap or anything, but I did replace the pins. I will re-read your post and double check everything. All in all I think at fault is the felt, front duplex/design, and some poor workmanship. We'll certainly see. Maybe the third time is a charm! Regards, Jim Busby It's been a while since I posted to this list, so y'all please tolerate my off-the-wall comments. Jim/group, I've read all the replies to date from this post, and indeed there are some good responses. But I keep getting stuck on some of the things you mentioned initially that were either not addressed, or were apparently dismissed. And frankly, I've lost track of what you have done to the unit versus what you inherited. So no offense is intended to anyone in this reply. If there is any intent, it's about reviewing the basics before going up any one-way streets. I've always had an affinity for Masons -- the entire series -- although I don't like all of the four scales of the 'A' equally. If I tuned Mason's routinely, I'm sure it would be a walk in the park. Instead, I have to get "in the "zone" beforehand, otherwise, the piano itself will remind me quickly enough. Of course, other pianos also require a modified technique, approach and attitude, Mason's are problematic, but the rewards are invariably worth it once the tuner and the piano are in sync. Looking at your pics, I realize I could be looking at a parallax situation, but on one shot it looks like consistent pin height might be an issue, possibly leading to flag-poling on the random problem strings. On another shot, it looks like something is going on with coil symmetry. On one, it looks as if at least one different pin/string has been installed. If more are not visible, would they be the culprits? And yes, the understring material looks more like a temperament strip in the pictures. The notorious, and arguably excessive counter-bearing area has been mentioned, but I don't remember anyone mentioning bridge pin angles, or that Mason's have side bearing sufficient to spread across several pianos. You mentioned the piano being on its side for a period of time. You also mentioned the the wedge was secure as part of reconditioning. Could something have happened here? Story #1. New Mason 'BB', and just moved to equally new home. I was called for a follow-up tuning. This unit was so bad, it sounded like it had fallen off the truck instead of riding in it. I found the plate wedge resting on top of the action. So, whether moved on its side, stored on its side, or handled improperly, things happen. Check not whether the wedge is there, instead that it is doing the job. Story #2. The tension resonator. All my peers give me strange looks on this one. Many state that "it can't happen". Mason 'A' (A3 scale), purchased new in 1995, and shortly thereafter a factory warranty call for me (that part is too long). Complaint was buzzing, rattling, and... tuning instability. This didn't take a lot of intense diagnosing, since the buzzing was obviously coming from the tension resonator. When I touched one of the rods to check for tightness, it fell down onto the carpet. Someone may argue that these have nothing to do with tuning, but the tuning was roller-coastering all over the place. I corrected the obvious problem, "tuned" the resonator, did enough tuning tuning passes to restore some level of stability and to assure myself that the original complaints had been resolved. (Must have worked -- owner became a client at his insistence, in spite of being four hours away, and the 'A' is still stable). In summary, I suggest that while you know certain things (evidenced by your own post), just don't assume that those things are correct and/or still valid. Oh, and be grateful the same topic is not about an Aeolian Knabe! -- Jim Harvey, RPT <harvey.pianotech at gmail.com<mailto:harvey.pianotech at gmail.com>> <www.harveypiano.com<http://www.harveypiano.com>> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20090522/4277d2ca/attachment.htm>
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