mystery center pinning

[Richard Brekne]

I also have to take issue with the stanse that pianists seeking a 
lighter touch are usually asking for more upweight. This is not at all 
in my experience. Number one, I find that pianists seeking lighter touch 
are not usually asking anything in particular. Some want a brighter 
sound for more immediate response, some want lower friction levels, some 
want just plain less mass to push around, some want combinations of the 
above and some want things that are way out there in right field.  I 
usually start by ruling out what action parameters fit nicely into 
established tolerances. Upweights between 24-30 grams should just dandy 
for most every pianist out there, and I immediatly start looking for 
other solutions to touchweight concerns.

We had a Petrof grand here that I pinned with very low friction a while 
back as an experiment. Folks had been complaining of too heavy a touch.  
Initially their response was enthusiastic, yet not more then a couple 
three weeks passed before complaints of control problems started popping 
up. Fly away hammers syndrom.  I ended up pinning again as I usually do, 
and reducing hammer weight by filing and removing wood to a Stanwood # 8 
curve (down from a very inconsistatnt # 10-11 curve). The voicing was 
brightened a bit as well naturally enough by the filing. That did the trick.

Usually, I find that if friction is a real touch problem... then its to 
be found in dragging key bushings, problems with the contact between the 
knuckle and jack top, or similiar such moments, and not centerpins.  A 
slow centerpin is simply one that hangs up the movement of a part. ALTME. :)

Cheers
RicB

Richard Brekne wrote:

> New New York Steinway shanks I suppose ?  We had a long discussion 
> about these just a bit back, seems they've gone off on a low friction 
> kick. They are supposed to be pertpetual motion machines by design as 
> the story goes.  I am with you tho, I do not like very low friction on 
> this point, and always opt for establishing as firm a hold as I can 
> get. This typically yeilds a 4-6 swingtest result.
>
> If you want  Steinway shanks that are the old style with more usual 
> friction levels, you will have to get somebody in Europe to send you 
> some me thinks. Course you can always order shanks from someone other 
> then Steinway.
>
> Cheers
> RicB
>