argh!!

[Ron Nossaman]

> What would you guys do besides what I did to correct the problem?
> Rick Ucci/Ucci Piano 

This usually happens with little kids taking lessons for the 
first time on the new Yamaha. Widening the let off to whatever 
makes it impossible for them to get a double strike is the 
only thing I've found that works. It's a mechanism, and so has 
operating parameters that they must meet to run it, and I 
explain that to them in almost those terms. If they refuse to 
entertain the prospect of learning to run the mechanism, we 
can either screw up the mechanism to try to accommodate their 
fantasies, or decline, wish them luck, and offer to tune it 
for them some day if they ever figure out how to depress a key.

I've done both (depending on the resistance and vocabulary), 
but what I usually do after the lengthy explanations and "yea, 
but" discussion exchange, is bend the let off brackets down. 
That widens the let off in each section in seconds, and lets 
me bring it back up pretty close to where it belongs next year 
when the kid has learned to push through the let off 
resistance and bottom the keystroke. Then, it doesn't take 
long to touch it up and move on.

Same with floating hammer shanks in new Yamaha verticals. I 
slit the hammer rail prop felts, and insert a piece of bushing 
cloth. The nap grips enough to hold it in there, a tad of lost 
motion appears, and the repetition problems suddenly and 
magically go away with maybe two minute's work. Next year, or 
two, after everything compacts a bit, pull the bushing cloth 
and touch up capstan regulation - maybe five or six minutes.

Cheap tricks for lazy techs.
Ron N