Falconwood Pinblock Problems

[Mark Dierauf]

>> I have found the pins to be very draggy and jumpy in the Steinways (both
M's), not >>so bad in the M&H A. Of course the Steinways have the most high
profile use. >>Fine tuning them is very difficult.

>>The installer assures me to "wait a year and they will dry out. You will think
them >>as the best pinblock you can use." What happens before a year passes can
be >>politcally damaging with the patrons.

 I have one S&S "A" with one of these blocks in it - a performance piano, too,
and I have always hated and despised it. Of course it has something to do with
the size of the bit used to drill the holes, but I'll stick with Delignit. I
actually helped the rebuilder who installed the Falconwood block by stringing
the piano after he had installed and drilled it, and I remeber that I couln't
drive the new pins in with a 4 lb. hammer until he suggested rubbing the pins
with violin bow rosin. It was a good thing that nobody was around to hear my
"comments" while tuning this monster!
  It did eventually get to the point (after 6 or 7 years) where it wasn't such a
problem to tune, but whether it was due to an enlargement of the tuning pin
holes or my bicepts I'll never know for sure.

                  Mark Dierauf
                  Concord, NH

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