[pianotech] Buzzing piano puzzler

[Michael Magness]

On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:22 AM, Rex Roseman <rosemanpiano at gmail.com>wrote:

>  Dear List
>
>
>
> Need some collective help here. A customer has a Shoniger Console piano
> that has developed a bad buzzing sound when the notes around C3 and C4 are
> played. This piano is sitting over the heat/AC vent for the room. I
> explained that this was a bad idea because of drying and that the buzz was
> most likely loose soundboard ribs.
>
>
>
> *Diagnosis*: The buzz sounded like a loose rib. While playing the notes
> and pressing on the soundboard from the front, the buzz stopped. During the
> return service call to fix the ribs, the piano was pulled out from the wall
> for access. Everything looked tight (ribs to soundboard) and the peripheral
> soundboard joint looked good. The buzzing could be stopped by placing a
> wedge between one of the ribs and the back post. Only one rib (passing
> behind the treble most post) stopped the buzzing sound, so it was thought
> that this must be the loose rib. However, when that rib was wedged from the
> back, the buzz moved to the C6 area.
>
>
>
> *Repair attempt*: ZAP-A-Gap CA glue was used to reattach the rib to the
> soundboard by applying glue to the old glue line. The glue never seemed to
> wick in except for one spot at the bottom of the piano that didn’t seem to
> have anything to do with the buzz. All the ribs were treated because the
> piano was already cleaned and prepped and just in case the rib that seemed
> to be the problem was not. As far as I could tell the glue treatment did not
> work this time. The only thing that stopped the buzz was to place a felt
> wedge between the harp and the soundboard opposite the rib that seemed to be
> the problem. When wedged from the front, the buzz did not move up the piano.
> The wedge was left in, but this is not an acceptable long term solution.
>
>
>
> Obviously either the problem has been missed diagnosed, the wrong glue used
> or used the wrong way, or there is something totally different happening
> here that I have not discovered.
>
>
>
> Any suggestions of what to look for and what may have gone wrong?
>
>
>
> Thank you.
>
>
>
> Rex Roseman
>
>
>


Hi Rex,

I'll jump in a day late, another possibility would be some debris, a
paperclip, bobbypin, safetypin, etc. between the soundboard and plate.
I once had a church piano with a similar buzz and could find nothing loose
we finally tipped it up on a tipper and removed the bottom board and found a
large paper clip between the soundboard and plate.

Mike

-- 
I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
Steven Wright


Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
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