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<font size=3>Roger,<br>
The Damper upstop rail slapping on the belly rail is a good
candidate.<br>
<br>
Hardened guide rail felt is another possibility along with the damper
head<br>
itself being a bit loose on the wire.<br>
<br>
Hmmmmmm...<br>
<br>
Jon Page<br>
<br>
At 11:50 PM 12/02/2000 -0600, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite>Hi John,<br>
Guess we could be
grasping at straws, but a couple of other<br>
things to try.<br>
<br>
Is the damper guide rail secure to the belly rail?<br>
<br>
If the board is flat in this area, that can cause some thud like
tones.<br>
Measure the bearing with a compound gauge, and check the board for
some<br>
curvature.<br>
<br>
If the glue joint on the inner rim or belly rail is loose similar<br>
result.<br>
Take an artist pallet knife, (.010" thick) and see if you can find
any<br>
looseness between the board and liner.<br>
<br>
Just some thought's<br>
Roger<br>
<br>
<br>
John D. Chapman wrote:<br>
> <br>
> Remember THUD?<br>
> Here is the history. I had not seen this piano until last
month.<br>
> While tuning I noticed that notes 50, 51, 52, and 53 (top four notes
in<br>
> agraff section, just below the treble break) had an
unpleasant<br>
> knock/slap sound, the same percussive knock which is in the
background of<br>
> all piano tone, but in notes 50-53 it dominates the tone.
These are the<br>
> four notes between A440 and the treble break. The orchestra
conductor<br>
> asked me if I had noticed those four notes, as did the pianist, so I
knew<br>
> it wasn't just my imagination. I have checked it out both upstage
and back<br>
> stage (wood floors), and back at the dealership (concrete
floor).<br>
> Here is what we have
done so far:<br>
> 1. checked hammers for loose glue joint, flange pinning, and
screw<br>
> tightness,<br>
> 2. visually checked the action frame joints between notes #53
& #54,<br>
> 3. checked the wippens for sufficient felt at the front to
keep the<br>
> jack from slamming into the rep lever,<br>
> 4. checked key frame bedding, front, back, and glides, with
and without<br>
> damper pedal, and with and without shift pedal,<br>
> 5. pressed down the back key frame with a long screwdriver to
see if it<br>
> was slapping up against the dag,<br>
> 6. played notes with dampers held all the way up by hand and
by pedal,<br>
> 7. moved the action in and out to see if the tone
improved,<br>
> 8. switched some hammers from the octave below to see if it
could be the<br>
> hammers,<br>
> 9. switched some whippins from the octave below to see if it
coulb be the<br>
> whippins,<br>
> 10. seated the strings,<br>
> 11. applied firm pressure on the bridge cap at the end of the
section to<br>
> see if there was a loose glue joint between cap and bridge
body,<br>
> 12. checked for clearance between the bridge and the
plate,<br>
> 13. checked for loose ribs,<br>
> 14. checked for clearance between nose and bell bolts and
soundboard,<br>
> 15. checked that the bell bolt nut which was one turn past
finger tight,<br>
> 16. checked for foreign object lodged between soundboard and
frame, and<br>
> between soundboard and plate,<br>
> 17. tightened the end screws of the diagonal plate bar, which
could be<br>
> turned another half turn to snug,<br>
> 18. checked key leads and underlever leads,<br>
> 19. checked the key bed with a straightedge front to
back. I found that<br>
> the board just beyond the board on which the balance rail glides
rest was<br>
> high. Chalked it where it passes under the front to back board
of the key<br>
> frame which is just under notes 50-53 and found that is was just
barely<br>
> touching. Sanded key frame there until there was adequate
clearance.<br>
> Playing the note by pushing up on the whippin from underneath with
my<br>
> finger without moving the key still produces the THUD, so I guess
that<br>
> eliminates the keyframe anyway.<br>
> <br>
> None of this has changed the THUD.<br>
> What have I missed?<br>
> Why these four consecutive notes with no sign of the problem
above or<br>
> below them?<br>
> <br>
> John Chapman RPT<br>
> Wake Forest University<br>
> Winston-Salem NC </font></blockquote></html>