Shop Regulation-- It's all in the string-height. Jig it!

[TunerJeff@aol.com]

Hey Avery!

     How can you do prep-work regulation on an action that's away from the
piano???

Try this;
     At each end of a section... before removing the action from the piano.
Regulate each note at the extreme ends of each section for let-off & drop.
Being sure you have rep-spring tension at least equal to the task. Be REAL
finicky about it. Use 1/16th" for each. (Don't argue! Just do it!...)

     When you get back to the shop; Set the action on your work-surface and
haul out that ol' wooden regulating jig... the one with the adjustable
strike-surface you can hang over the hammerline ( a thin piece of wood held
by two screws onto a board suspended by two adjustable wing-nuts tensioned by
a coiled spring... or ...whatever you happen to have).

     Adjust the jig to get the proper let-off & drop from your "samples" for
a section and measure the height from your work-surface to the "strike-point"
on each end of the jig by the samples. Write these numbers on a piece of
paper (...do not lose, misplacing is OK... but do NOT lose this!). Voila!

     You can now duplicate the "string-height" for that action no matter what
you do to it in the shop. Somehow, it seems that measuring the string height
from the bottom of the action-housing or keybed (...depends on where you went
to school... I guess...) never seems to produce the same results in the shop
for me. Basic regulation done from tape-measured string-height or
measurements from string-height guages never seem to produce the same
results.

    << Mebbe the idea reduces the measurement and jig adjustment to it's
smallest denominator; Here's the jig. Here's where the samples work on my
bench in my shop. Measure the jig height. Period. >>

Doing it this way gives you repeatable results for that action even if you
completely replace the hammers & flanges or all the keyfelts... or whatever
screws up your regulation. Whaddaya think?
Will doin' this thang he'p ya? Works fer me.

Uh-huh,
Jeffrey T.Hickey, RPT

ps- The Yamaha folks blew the call to the tech on the key-replacement.
Whether this was the Corp., the dealer, or the tech who was sent is the
question. I agree that the tech should NOT have serviced other pianos in the
home, a rude move (...without even a call!).
We don't know what happened, (...as WE weren't there!) but my sympathy is
with the tech who got cold-shouldered.
     A letter or call to the local Yamaha rep would probably net a sincere
apology, 'though.
This company really does listen to the techs out there, and they do seem to
care about "Doing the right thing.". I wish all companies had that
attitude!!!