[pianotech] Hammer rest felt

[Rob McCall]

Thank you, Ed...

The motion appears fine with no sagging keys.  No hammers are dragging  
either. A few hammers did look slightly out of alignment but with the  
deep grooves cut into the top of the hammers, it appears to have been  
that way for a long time. The letoff and aftertouch appear fine.  I  
didn't check the hard blows but I will.  I didn't hear any clicking  
sounds from the action. In fact, the action is fairly quiet compared  
to most that I've played.  The blow distance I measured to be 50mm on  
average. The book I have on regulation specified 47.5mm for this  
model. I don't know how much of that is because of the flattened  
hammers, but the hammer line appears uniform throughout the entire  
piano.

My fear was that (being in a HS environment) someone spilled a liquid  
inside the piano over those felts, causing them to swell up somewhat,  
then the hammer shanks started in on them and eventually pushed them  
aside.

Additionally, the inside of the piano is, well... filthy.  The  
director asked me to write up a proposal to bring the piano back to  
where it belongs. Cleaning, repairing, etc. She knows I'm fairly new,  
but being a teacher, I believe she sees this as an excellent learning  
opportunity for me, as well.  I don't take that trust lightly and I  
want to make sure I give her the service she requires.

As an aside, and hopefully a supplement to my background, I've played  
piano for over 40 years in various jazz combos, solo piano, etc.  I  
was trained classically for 14 years but then discovered jazz and my  
love for the piano really took off. Three or four times a year, I play  
as the accompanist for the above choirs for their concerts,  
competitions , musicals, etc. so I've developed a personal  
relationship of trust with them and I want to make sure I keep it!

Thanks again,

Rob McCall

On Jun 13, 2009, at 02:55 , Ed Sutton wrote:

> Greetings, Rob,
>
> Is there a functional problem? Lost motion, sagging keys, hammers  
> dragging or out of alignment with the strings, no letoff or no  
> aftertouch, or hammers mis-firing on a hard blow? Clicking sounds  
> from the action? Is blow distance too great? Is letoff too wide?
>
> If no such problems are happening, probably best to leave it alone.  
> If there is a problem, the solution may be simple or complex, and  
> will need careful diagnosis before "fixing."
>
> There may have been a slight error in manufacture, but if its  
> working, count your blessings. "Offset" rest felts are fairly  
> common, and don't cause problems in themselves..
>
> But good for you for looking and noticing something amiss. I would  
> follow-up as mentioned above; look to see if there is a related  
> functional problem.
>
> Ed Sutton