Mother goose string leveler

[Michael Gamble]

Hello David N and List
I'm just ordering one of Joe's #320 leveller. My gut feeling about the topic
under discussion here is that the key-bed MUST be taken as the criteria.
When measuring string heights for grand regulation out of the piano it will
be noted that the height at one end of a break isn't necessarily the same at
the other end. However this will not, IMO, affect the use of this cunning
device of Joe's. I think we can accept that the hammers all present a
striking surface parallel to the key-bed - ergo each individual note, be it
Una, Bicoda, Tricorda must be regulated to its own requirement. And that
requirement must be parallel to the key-bed.
Regards from a rainy, windy village on the Downs
Michael G.(UK)  

-----Original Message-----
From: David Nereson [mailto:dnereson@4dv.net] 
Sent: 14 September 2005 05:24
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: Mother goose string leveler

Erwinspiano@aol.com wrote:

>  To all level headed tech's
>  I have been using Joe's slick little tool for a while now & It has 
> taken the archaic out of the mundane job of string leveling. It tells 
> an accurate story right off the git go. However it's wise to see if 
> the  keybed/piano are truly level first & if not get them into 
> compliance. I use a long aluminum  bubble level when in shop. In the 
> field a put the gauge on the stretcher or keybed as quick references.

    But even if the stretcher and keybed are level, isn't it possible 
that in some pianos, the whole plate could be mounted in the piano with 
a slight tilt, depending on how they determined its correct placement 
relative to the bridge for proper downbearing?   Maybe this would happen 
only in cheaper pianos -- I don't know, having never checked.  But the 
main thing is that the plane of the strings in each agraffe has to be 
parallel to the crowns of the hammers, and if the plate has any tilt to 
it, you'd end up pulling a left unison string up and pushing a right one 
down, or vice versa.  --David Nereson, RPT