Touchweight

[David Love]

I think the issue is critical enough that I would encourage those who are
not confident in their knowledge to consult rather than just use standard
parts.  Otherwise, you are taking a chance.  The issue isn't always design.
More often it's the execution of the design that's flawed as is the case
with many Steinways.  Simple corrections can be made that will save you a
lot of headaches later.  I have come back to a few actions that I did some
time ago that I wish I had known then what I do now.  I would guess I'm not
alone in that experience.  Some of those were cases of replacing parts with
original dimension parts.  Though the information to assess actions is
readily available, it does require some research and thought.  If people
don't have the time or energy, pay a consulting fee to a technician who can
at least give you the specs you need to be sure the parts that go on their
will achieve the proper touchweight dynamics and regulation specs.  Pay now
or pay later.

David Love
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net


> [Original Message]
> From: James Ellis <claviers@nxs.net>
> To: <caut@ptg.org>
> Date: 1/9/2004 10:53:33 AM
> Subject: Touchweight
>
> David (Stanwood),
>
> I believe you quoted me out of context.  For the benefit of the other
> readers on the list, let me put it bluntly.  If you DON'T know what you
are
> doing, stay with the original parts, as best you can.  If you DO know what
> you are doing, good luck.  You are on your own.
>
> I saw a case where a technician moved all the capstans, and got the action
> into a state where it was virtually impossible to regulate properly.  The
> problem all along was new hammers that were much too heavy.  It was not a
> case where the appropriate hammers were not avaliable.  They were.  There
> was nothing wrong with the original action geometry.  All it needed was
new
> hammers of the right size and weight.
>
> An entirely different case is a customer who cannot be satisfied.  I few
> years ago, I did a complete action rebuilding for a man.  The before and
> after difference was like night and day.  The man admitted that he could
> "rip through" passages that he could not begin to play before, but he was
> still not quite satisfied.  I did everything I could think of the satisfy
> him, but nothing was good enough.  I finally told him that if he ever
found
> a piano that he really liked, to let me know; I would see it, and then I
> could figure out what it was that he wanted.  He has tried pianos all over
> the eastern half of the US, but so far, nothing is quite to his liking,
and
> he still has the same piano.
>
> Jim Ellis
>
>
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