Floppy Fallboard dilemma

[Barbara Richmond]

Did you try calling Yamaha?   I thought they had taken care of that problem.

Barbara Richmond, RPT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenneth Jankura" <kenrpt at earthlink.net>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 6:21 PM
Subject: Floppy Fallboard dilemma


> Help!
> I tune a  Yamaha GB1 grand in a church.
> I received a call a while back that the pianist is unhappy that the  
> fallboard is so loose it falls on her hands.
> I stopped by to check it out, and this mechanism is a little  
> different from the G series grands.
> It is spring metal that is circular and follows a leather covered  
> circular mortice in the side of the fallboard.
> I tightened the spring tension by wedging the spring with a piece of  
> hammer felt under the bottom of the two screws, effectively making it  
> push against the leather harder. I could feel that it held better in  
> the up position.
> No go. Another call, fallboard still keeps falling on the pianist's  
> hands.
> I went back and carved some hammer felt and glued it to the inside of  
> the case, in just the right spot so when the fallboard is  raised, it  
> puts a lot of pressure when it is in the up position. I felt I had to  
> use quite a bit of force to place the fallboard in the up position.  
> Permanently fixed.
> Of course, I just got the call that the pianist has once again  
> removed the fallboard because it keeps falling on her hands. What is  
> going on? The music director and I joked we might need a gate-type  
> latch to satisfy this situation.
> What should I do? What has worked for you in the past? How do you  
> redesign a floppy fallboard???
> 
> P.S. I suggested a well placed tuning mute...
> 
> Ken Jankura RPT
> Newville, PA
>