[CAUT] becoming an all Steinway School

[Andrew Anderson]

Pull the action and make sure that the strings are close enough to 
the string-bed that the action can reasonably reach it without 
backing the drop screws out to the top and then twisting some more in 
vain hope of reasonable drop.  3/16"+ drop with the screws maxed out 
is not a good starting point.  Brand-new hammers overstriking by 1/8+ 
should raise your eyelids a little.

This piano has a terribly weak mid-treble to boot.  But the prof 
liked the tenor bass.  As Ning An put it, "a tale of two 
pianos."  "What happened to the other half of the good one in the 
bass/tenor?"  The keys also have lots of bounce (heavily 
leaded).  I'm not sure that filling all that gap between the hammer 
shanks and the whippen cushions is going to take care of the bounce 
problem (enough to interfere with rapid repetition).

Andrew Anderson

At 01:59 PM 12/9/2007, you wrote:
>Andrew,
>
>I would be interested in the actual problems you found in the new D?
>What you thought should have been dealt with in the factory before 
>going out the door?
>
>In this same vein...when picking out a new Steinway D, what would 
>the List's technicians be looking for?
>For me it would be sustain/singing quality though out.   Few false 
>strings,    Plenty of felt on the hammers.   Less lead in the keys....
>
>
>David Ilvedson, RPT
>Pacifica, CA  94044
>
>----- Original message ----------------------------------------
>From: "Andrew Anderson" <andrew at andersonmusic.com>
>To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
>Received: 12/8/2007 8:56:05 PM
>Subject: Re: [CAUT] becoming an all Steinway School
>
>
> >I am a technician servicing an official all Steinway school and one
> >that would probably qualify but isn't interested in the hassle (to
> >quote the dean.)
>
> >I am also a piano dealer carrying Sauter pianos.  I know a list of
> >"All-Steinway" schools in the US and Europe (Hamburg instruments)
> >that have purchased Sauters recently for the stated purpose of having
> >a variety of high-end piano sound to offer their students.  They are
> >still All Steinway at this point, none of them are particularly
> >concerned about retaining the status either.
>
> >The school I service did it to piggy-back on Steinway advertising
> >with the interest of drawing more international piano students.  Two
> >in four years...  They are sorely disappointed with the dealer and
> >won't be buying from her again.  (Absolutely nothing is covered under
> >the short warranty, even glaring defects and fairly obvious fixes
> >advocated by Steinway tech.s in New York.)  Their second
> >concert-grand probably will not be a Steinway either.  Anyone want a
> >D that shouldn't have been let out of the factory for 95 Gs?
>
> >You have to remember this is a symbiotic advertising thing.  They
> >both have something to lose by changing status of schools.  I haven't
> >seen the contract but I'd suspect it involves a requirement for a
> >significant majority per-centage of the pianos in the school.  This
> >school has one Baldwin R, in the Student Center.
>
> >To qualify the previous paragraph: a Steinway tech. mentioned in
> >passing that a certain school (name slips me) was de-certified for
> >failing to adequately maintain their pianos.  Steinway will act to
> >protect their program when they deem it necessary.
>
> >All the practice pianos are Boston uprights.  As a tech I don't like
> >them.  They are weather yo-yos in the extreme and the tuning pins are
> >not stiff enough for an easy solid tuning.  You really have to
> >massage them to be sure you don't have the pins wind back up and
> >sharp when approaching pitch from above.  Ie they twist a lot before
> >the feet move and you can pound and not provoke the
> >movement  immediately.  You have to wag that hammer back and forth a
> >bit until you find center on the desired pitch.  The Boston grands
> >have that typical brown sound but tune up well and don't have
> >Steinway type action mating issues.  Good quality control at Kawai.
>
> >The one school auctioned off the worst of the inventory and then
> >moved the best into various offices and classrooms.  The other was a
> >new school, first and new inventory.
>
> >Andrew Anderson
>
> >At 09:00 PM 12/8/2007, you wrote:
> >>hi folks
> >>I'd be interested to hear experiences from those
> >>techs. working at schools  that have become ''All
> >>Steinway''. Is it very restrictive on the purchase
> >>choice of instruments. What happened to existing
> >>inventory. Was administration and faculty  won over by
> >>becoming ''All Steinway''. How are the Boston pianos
> >>holding up etc etc..........
> >>
> >>
> >>
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