wrestling an alligator

Piannaman@aol.com Piannaman@aol.com
Sat, 22 Mar 2003 02:34:21 EST


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List,

Well, it wasn't really an alligator, but when I was done with the Baldwin 
M(5' 8" grand), circa 1965, I felt as if I'd been in a river with a large 
reptile.  ON the surface, it seemed like a nice piano, except the lady told 
me it hadn't been tuned in probably 20 years.  The husband later informed me 
that a "cowboy from Oklahoma" was the last guy that tuned it.  Probably told 
her that it would never tuning again.

Anyway, after a pitch raise(only 10% +/- flat in the middle, slightly more at 
the ends), I grappled with trying to get a decent tuning in it.  These pianos 
have no tuning pin bushings, and I guess that's what makes them want to 
spring right back to where you started from.  This particular instrument had 
pins that popped just as they were about to fall into place, and voila--10% 
flat or sharp again!  And it was whiny as a newborn baby.  Almost as whiny as 
me right now.

I can normally do a pitch raise and fine tuning in  1 1/2 hours or slightly 
less if the piano wasn't way off to start with.  I was battling this monster 
for 2 1/2 hours.  The lady kvetched a bit when I told her I was going to 
charge her for a pitch raise.  Of all da noive!

Question:  would regular tuning over the previous two decades have smoothed 
out the tuning pin rotation at all?  

Amazingly, the piano sounded pretty good when I was done.  I hate to admit 
this, but after that ordeal, I was happy to get to my next customer's Pearl 
River.

Dave Stahl

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