Rant from a Player Tech!

[Alan R. Barnard]

Why the rant? You should feel like whistling a happy tune, here.
You come off as THE knowledgeable expert and THE ONE who cared enough to really diagnose and properly fix the piano.
It's like the joke(?): It's only 99% of lawyers who give all the rest a bad name.
Of the four of you (you, the tuner/player, the other two), who is most likely to be successful, endure in the trade, and build a solid reputation? You, dat who!
Alan Barnard
Salem, MO
Joshua 24:15

P.S. What did the cow do after eating Kentucky bluegrass?  (Ready? ... Mood Indigo)




Original message
From: pianolady50 at peoplepc.com
To: "Pianotech List" 
Received: 10/31/2006 2:20:26 PM
Subject: Rant from a Player Tech!


Hi all,
 
I couple weeks ago I did a "sight unseen" consult for a local tuner.  The piano in question was an old upright player.  This tuner happens to be the piano player for the restaurant owning the piano.  Please take note that he is more a musician than a tuner and just tunes some on the side.  Nice guy and a good tuner (not tech).
 
The problem.  "When I use the soft pedal, one note seems to be not only striking it's own strings, but the strings adjacent.  It is only when I use the soft pedal".
 
And, "I've had two other techs that I know look at the piano and they think the player system is interfering and causing the problem.  It's getting worse each week." 
 
I explain that it is *very* unlikely to have a player action in an upright player as the cause of his problem.  My first guess is that since, by his observation, it only happens when using the soft pedal, when the hammers are brought closer to the strings he has two hammers converging due to bad travel or warped shanks.  Upon playing one note a neighboring hammer is caught and also travels to it's strings.  If the soft pedal is not used there is enough clearance for each note to work individually.
 
"Please come and look, I think it's the player as techs X and Y have said."
 
So I go.  I look.  I ask, "Does the player work?"
"No, I don't think so", he says. 
"Well, it's always best to try these things first."
 
So I pump.  Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.  Hmmm.  A very little bit of exploring to find the main exhauster hose from the stack to the pump disconnected.
 
"Oh, tech X and I pulled the player out of the way so we could look at the action".
 
That explains it ;-)
 
Connect the hose and away it goes.  Pumps like a charm!  Good.  Now for the problem that I'm there to address.  
 
I ask that he tell me which is the offending note without touching it.  F#4 right where you have the spoolbox in the way.  Isn't it always!?  Without using the soft pedal, I slowly depressed the key and sure enough it grabbed the G.  Of course it did the same with the pedal, too.  He always uses the pedal so hadn't actually tried it without.  
 
The cause...either a loose/broken/whatever wippen flange or, the most likely, an unglued jack flange.  While holding gently the "G hammer" to keep it from moving and sloooowly depressing the F# key, I could feel the jack trying to catch the G and jumping out from under that butt.
 
So, wrote up the estimate for the restaurant owner and I'm waiting to hear.  Will, of course, reglue all jack flanges, tighten what needs to be tightened, and loosen what is too tight.  File the hammers, etc.  After all, nobody else has a clue evidently so this stuff better get done while I've got it!
 
BIG question?  If at least one of these techs removed the player to look at the piano action, didn't they test it without the player in place?  Why oh why could no one else solve this?
 
GRRRRRRR.
 
Thanks for letting me carry on this rant.  I feel better now LOL.
 
Debbie
 
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