[pianotech] Yamaha Spinet

[Roger@Integra.net]

Aart,
I believe the piano is reacting as expected in that climate. The fact that a 
piano rises and falls is actually a good sign that the soundboard is 
"alive"; for that, he can be thankful. A flat "dead" board would react much 
less, if any, to such a radical swing. I have a few customers with 100 year 
old uprights with flat boards. They stay reasonably in tune for as much as 
10 years in our climate. Unfortunately, a piano won't rise and fall equally 
across the board. The discrepancy is always at the tenor break where the 
plain wire verses the wound strings and termination's are radically 
different. Good luck at explaining this to your customer. Also, in our area 
I don't encourage my semi annual customers to space their tuning 6 months 
apart; our seasonal change doesn't reflect a perfect 6 month dry and 6 month 
wet period, but more a 8 to 4 month cycle. You know your seasonal change 
better than I. Maybe he's tuning at the wrong time of the year.
Roger
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aart in America Piano Services" <aartinamerica at optonline.net>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2011 10:39 AM
Subject: [pianotech] Yamaha Spinet


> Hi,
>
> Not sure if the list is still up, However i have a long time customer, who 
> is a professional jazz Bass player.
> He has a Yamaha 1970's  spinet tuned to A=440.  He uses the piano for 
> rehearsals with his band and writing/arranging.
> He tunes it twice a year May/June and December.
> No AC in small city row house outside NYC. Summer is very hot and humid.
> The piano fluctuates between - 20c in the winter and + 12c in the Summer.
> I Tuned it  two week ago ( Lots of rain and high Humidity ) and as usual 
> the piano was 12c sharp.
> I tuned it to A=441 and he called yesterday saying that the piano is out 
> of tune in the bass up to third octave.
> This is the third call back I've had with this customer in two years. The 
> pins are ok and I have tapped a few in over the last years.
> I've advised him that maybe this piano has seen better days and he should 
> get a better piano with a Dammp Chaser.
> He and his budget say no. However I think his KB Player is expecting more 
> form this piano then it can deliver.
>
> I would appreciate some insight as to the pitch differential. Possibly the 
> soundboard is expanding and contracting with the seasons?
>
> Any thoughts on this?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Aart Markenstein
>
> Aart in America Piano Company
> Jersey City NJ
>
>