Old Upright, partial plate, Pitch?

[Richard Brekne]

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Mike and Jane Spalding wrote:

> List, What about this exposed pinblock - are there unique problems
> and dangers associated with this thing?  Pitch was 100 cents low,
> almost uniformly from top to bottom (bass less, high treble
> more).  Can I conclude from this that the piano had been
> maintained at below 440?  Can a partial plate upright be safely
> tuned to 440 or should it be kept at, say, 435?  Pins appear to be
> original, or at least original size, #2 tip fits nicely, so
> re-pinning with oversize pins looks like a possibility.  Again,
> does the exposed pinblock create any special concerns with this
> approach?  Plate and case in good condition, no sign of cracks or
> separation in pinblock, but most pins don't have much more than
> the minimum amount of torque needed to stay at current pitch.
> And, it was 80F and 66%RH today.

I have heard tell that 3/4 plate pianos can fail, but have never run
into one that did... at least not because of anything related to the
plate. As for open face pinblocks, I personally prefer them. If the
pin block is in good condition then repinning is of course no
problem. The fact that the instrument seems uniform 100 cents below
440 certainly would point in the direction you suspect, but its not
conclusive evidence. Could be just because the pins are a bit on the
loose side as you say.... perhaps the previous tuner just felt it
would hold better that being the case.  As for tuning to 440... I
have not personally experienced this to be a problem in 3/4 plate
pianos.


--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no


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