---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment I just got through tuning my first square grand, an 1873 Steinway. Special thanks to Jon Page, Paul Chick, and Joe Garrett for good information. All in all, it was nowhere near the pain I thought it was going to be. I suppose many years as a bike racer has gotten me used to bending over in such an ungainly way that it didn't phase me too much. I had my oval-tipped hammer in hand ready to do battle with the beast, but when I opened the lid, I was almost disappointed to see square headed tuning pins! Question: could these be original? And much to my chagrin, somebody had written the letters of all of the naturals on the plate next to the pins. It did make my job a bit easier, I must admit, but I unnecessary and desctructive. The hammers looked as if they had been replaced not so long ago, and they had a nice sound. I proceeded with Jon's recommendation of a Broadwood Best temperament(per Tunelab Pocket) and set the pitch at A 435. I hope this was the right thing to do, because when I arrived, it was between there and 440. The previous tuner had tuned it in ET at 440. The pins had been doped, but they didn't seem too spongy, though quite a few of them were springy and hard to set. Got up to A7(the last note on the keyboard) and the hammer didn't hit the string. Great! An opportunity to remove the action. It was a very simple process, and next thing I knew, I was examining a very simple, ingenious and beautifully made device. At first I thought that the jack had broken off, but it had merely flopped forward. I flopped it back. Put the action back in, finished tuning, put the dampers back on. When I played the tone was incredibly rich and sweet, the pitch and temperament made the piano sing! The owners were thrilled, and so was I. It was a worthwhile 2 1/2 plus hours, and--I never thought I'd say this--I look forward to my next encounter with a square! Dave Stahl ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/e0/0a/5b/bd/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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