Sudden damper buzz syndrome

[J Patrick Draine]

OK, near LA and not too far from the ocean, it's quite possible that
salty air + air pollution could have conributed to the dampers getting
hardened and crusty. How old is the piano -- has it been in this
semi-controlled studio environment for its entire "lifetime"? Or spent
its first ten years overlooking the ocean with open windows?
Whie it seems (sitting here at my computer) that removing the dampers
and very lightly brushing the contact surface with a soft toothbrush
or very fine grit sandpaper file is a valid technique to get rid of
the zings, you should consider that you might want to give the
customer the options between a "full repair" (cleaning the plain wire
of any rust or tarnish at the contact point area AND replacing the
full set of damper felts), and this far less expensive procedure.
In my experience, customers often suddenly hear "all sorts of noises"
after a piano is "just tuned". Especially if it's a recording studio
or venue! Which is a good reason for us to point out  these
imperfections either before we start tuning, or at least before we
leave ( and an estimated cost of the repair, voicing, regulation,
etc.) . Yes, it is difficult for us to do all that in the context of
"I just want it tuned" appointments, but that's how we can best
approach 100% customer satisfaction.
BTW, Marcel's suggestion regarding the pedal adjustments still stands
-- just because you didn't touch it doesn't mean it may not be part of
the problem!
Good luck!
Patrick Draine

On 11/19/06, Geoff Sykes <thetuner at ivories52.com> wrote:
>
>
> Marcel --
>
> Nope. Didn't touch the sustain pedal adjustment.