Bosendorfer problems

[S. Brady]

On Mon, 3 Feb 1997, Charles E Faulk wrote:

> One of the most troublesome pianos under my care at Kansas State
> University is a battleship sized Bosendorfer Imperial. There is so much
> friction at the agraffes, V-bar, and counterbearing surfaces that tuning
> becomes a complete misery. Sometimes I will turn the tuning pin 3 to 4
> times before the pitch will even budge; and of course when the string
> finally moves , it makes my SAT turn red (literally!). Lowering the pitch

	Charles,
	I've maintained an Imperial for over 16 years now, and it sounds
like you're talking about the very same piano! My experience is, though,
that these problems are not unique to Bosendorfers. I currently service a
Grotrian of about the same vintage, and it has exactly the same type of
problem with high friction at the string bearings. Experiences with other
Germanic pianos suggest that this may be something which happens on many
of these instruments, and it seems to be exacerbated by heavy playing.
Here are some suggestions which have helped with my "enfants terribles."
	1. I agree with Newton that lubricating the bearing surfaces with
Protek can help. I would caution against applying it heavily, though.
Apply with a small watercolor brush or from a hypo-type oiler with good
flow control. Be especially careful about applying it to where the strings
cross under the capo and through the agraffes. If you apply enough of any
lubricant to these areas, the residue can eventually accumulate to the
point that it kills the tone of the string. Concentrate instead on the
counterbearing bar and the understring felt.
	2. Even after applying the lubricant, you'll probably find that
the friction is still higher than you'd like. The tuning technique which
works best with this high-friction problem (for me, anyway) is to
a)start with a downward nudge to help break the friction and to ensure
you're on the flat side.
b)turn the pin what seems to be the appropriate amount, even if you're
not hearing a change. You should be repeatedly striking the key rather
hard as you do this.
c)Wait. The tension will render through in a few seconds, and you'll be
able to judge your results.
	3. The Bosendorfer does have a removable capo bar, and I removed
the one from mine last year and dressed the capo. For some reason, it
seems to tune easier now than before.
	4. I've noticed on more than one of these problem pianos that if a
string breaks and I put on a replacement, the new string is much easier to
tune than the ones around it. Quite normal, in fact. My Bos is at the age
where I would normally restring a concert piano anyway, so I plan to do
that soon.
	Best of luck with the beast, Charles.

Steve Brady, RPT
University of Washington
Seattle, WA