Grand touch

[Richard Brekne]

Grin... and I thought we was talking about repetions spring levers,,, re-reading
Stans post I still think thats what the reply was about.. no matter, Whippen
assist springs are problematic and I aggree with what you mention below Roger, as
far as it goes. However I never try and set these in one pass. Rather I set them
a bit strong at first, and let the piano play in for a bit. They do tend to
weaken to a more or less optimal strength on their own. After this settling in is
accomplished, a second pass to even them out does the trick.

Of course this means I have to be able to get time to do the second pass on the
action. My experience is tho that allmost all action regulation, no matter how
presise it is done, can use a second pass after a weeks hard playing, and that
after that second pass the result is more stable over time.

I aggree tho with the basic preference for non-spring assisted whippens.

Richard Brekne
I.C.P.T.G.  N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway


Roger Jolly wrote:

> Hi Ed,
>            I'm with you and Stan on this one.  The problem with this
> manufacturer's actions is that they are using the wip assist springs to
> mask the mass/geometry problems.
>
> There is very little in the way of key leading in these pianos,  and the
> springs are over tensioned in manufacture. These springs loose their
> tension very quickly, resulting in an increase in DW
>
> I have now modified or corrected dozens of these actions. (currently we are
> doing about 2 per month)
> Tapering and tailing the hammers to loose about 2 grm, and then weighting
> off correctly, is the only long term solution.
>
> Because of the excessive mass, and the angle of the tail of the hammer,
> checking is almost impossible in the lower bass.  Their solution is to mill
> 4 very deep and sharp grooves into the tails, the result is that the check
> leather wears very quickly, I have replaced checks on 2 yr old units.
>
> Another side effect, the rep spring has to be set so stiff, to get any form
> of lift after checking, that there is a strong kick on a forte blow on
> release.
>
> AS Stan has mentioned, the wide angle of the tails wrt to the hammer rail,
> has the effect of pushing the tail out of check, instead of evenly trapping
> the tail and shank towards the flange, this result in premature centre pin
> wear.
>
> Wippen ASSIST springs should only be used to add a little assist and
> nothing more, they can be a useful addition to even out the touch for
> anomalies in friction. They are not the panacea to cure all ills.
>
> Regards roger
>
> At 07:55 PM 03/11/99 -0500, you wrote:
> >
> >>> In addition I find that ... insuring a repetition spring strength on
> >>the
> >>>"strong" side does wonders for
> >>> speed, and can contribute to the illusion of lightness of touch.
> >
> >Greetings,
> >    Since the spring doesn't lift the hammer in fast repetion, but rather,
> >increases the speed of the key return, the effect of stronger springs has,
> >imho, little to recommend it for additional speed.  As long as it is strong
> >enough to slowly lift the hammer from check, I have not found increasing the
> >spring to help repetition speed.  Personally, I set the springs to lift the
> >hammers as fast as possible without feeling them lift through the key.
> >    As mentioned by Stan,  the stronger the spring, the more resistance is
> >felt on the pianisimmo blow.  This is troublesome when setting up an action
> >for maximum sensitivity.
> >Regards,
> >Ed Foote
> >Precision Piano Works
> >Nashville, Tn.
> >
> Roger Jolly
> Saskatoon, Canada.
> 306-665-0213
> Fax 652-0505