[pianotech] Hammer rest felt

[Ed Sutton]

Rob-

Way to go! I like your approach.

Either the felts are too high, or the hammer shanks are comng down too low. 
The questions are "Why?" and "Does it matter?"

It may just be that the wippen cushions have become dented, or it may be 
something a bit odd. GH series aren't very good pianos, and there may have 
been a mistake in manufacturing. [For example, I've seen two Baldwin 
"Artist" series pianos with low set plates, requiring that the capstans be 
cranked way down to get blow distance, because the factory installed 
pre-hung hammers, bored for the correct plate height.]

But first, just do a sample regulation on a few notes, using your experience 
to recognize optimal regulation. Check the specs, but trust your judgement. 
Then look to see where the hammer shanks are. If they are above the felt, 
problem is solved. 2.5mm may do the trick. If the shanks are still at or 
below the felt level, keep looking. Perhaps all you need is to trim the 
felts, or even just iron them down a little.

Friendly relationships with schools, such as you describe, can provide good 
learning experience.

Ed S.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rob McCall" <rob at mccallpiano.com>
To: "Ed Sutton" <ed440 at mindspring.com>; <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 12:42 PM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Hammer rest felt


> 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
>