Dave Smith said: "encountered a Geo Broadbent straight-strung grand piano with tuning pins as shown. Piano is over 100 years old. Although the pin shown is a bit chewed up from some previous tech (not this one) using vise grips, it it pretty close to the other undamaged ones still in the piano. No tuning lever tip I have seen will fit this, as the pin is rectangular in shape, .2?x.26? roughly. The pins are threaded into the block with a pretty coarse thread. Does anyone know where to find a hammer tip that would fit this type pin? The piano was moved here from South Africa, where apparently the techs had no trouble tuning it :} Also the piano is sitting at about 100c flat to A440, but I was assuming it was designed to be tuned at A415 anyway. Any thoughts on this also? Thanks" Dave, Your Assumption that the piano should be tuned at 415 is not a good one. IF there are structural issues then it needs to be repaired and tuned to it's original designed pitch. Most pianos of 100-150 years of age were designed to be tuned to at least 435. If it were German, probably 450 would be what they designed it to be tuned to. (Check Helmholz, in the back Glossary, etc.<G>) As for a tuning tip to fit it? Jeez, I suspect you've never run into an "oval" tuning pin!<G> Check Schaff. Tips readily available. All of my catalogues are at another site, at the moment, so I can't look it up for numbers, etc. The "oblong Tip" and a "tip adaper" will suffice. Even though, in "the day" a double headed head/tip configuration was used for efficient tuning of any piano that had these type tuning pins. The one "Unique" thing, I noticed, is the really course/deep threads! Wow! that's really a new one on me! Thanks for sharing. Regards, Joe Joe Garrett, R.P.T. Captain of the Tool Police Squares R I
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