Yamaha GH1

[David ilvedson]

> Date:          Sun, 07 Dec 1997 10:50:57 +0000
> From:          Bonifield/Poulson <bonifarm@oro.net>
> To:            pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Subject:       Yamaha GH1
> Reply-to:      pianotech@ptg.org

I'm not sure what you will run into but I would like to recount 
a recent experience.  I had a very good pianist with a Kawai who 
decided to upgrade to a Feurich.  $50,000 which got for $25,000. 
He had it serviced by the store technician who could really 
"talk the talk".  My former customer decided to use the store 
technician.  Some 6 years later I see him and ask how his new 
piano was doing.  He told me he hardly played it because it was 
so noisy.  I offered to come and take a look free of charge 
because the Feurich is a well built instrument in my experience. 
When I got there he just lightly slapped the keys down a bit and 
the noise was very clacky.  He also said that the repetition 
was very poor and he couldn't feel control via the key.  I 
pulled the action and this is what I found:
#1...Pinning was about 12 swings
#2...The hammers were resting on the rail
#3...The jack was quite a bit back (towards the the hammer) from 
the knuckle core and low in the repetition window.  

I tried voicing the knuckle (under the leather in the core felt) 
which changed the color of the click/clack but didn't eliminate. 
I lowered the rest rail so the hammers were on the resting on 
the jacks/repetitions.  I regulated the jack to the knuckle its 
height in the window (circle of jacks) and low and behold the 
click/clack was much better.  The pianist said "I definitely 
want you to do that!"  So I simply regulated the jacks and 
repetition tension and he called me the next day and said it was 
a different piano and thanked me giving him his piano back...
I will be raising the checking height and repinning the hammer 
flanges, regulating the blow distance etc.  By the way when I 
tried repinning one of the flanges the bushing cloth had a 
sticky, frictiony feel when I reemed.  This is a Renner action 
and I suppose the cloth is graphited.  It was a bear to repin.  
Any tips on repinning Renner flanges?  I use a tapered reamer 
and that may be part of the problem although I have been using 
it for years with no problems!  

I wish I could tell that "tooner", "Don't talk the talk if you 
can't walk the walk!" 

David ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA



> Dear List Members:  A customer of mine has Yamaha GH1, vintage 1991, 
> that I will be servicing next week.  The action on the piano is getting 
> noisy, and I am wondering if there are methods that you all have found 
> that are relatively quick fixes for eliminating the causes.  I am 
> assuming I will find hardened knuckles and compacted jack felts and 
> wippen cushions.  Thanks again, Patrick Poulson, RPT
> 
>