Steinway "O"

[Dave Swartz]

At 06:13 PM 8/4/97 -0400, you wrote:
>List,
>
>     I am servicing an "O".  The owner complains about the "stiff" action.
>My personal piano - a 1911 model "O" (with new action) has the same heavy
>feel.  Coincidence, or is this the nature of this particular model?  Any
>suggestions?
>
>Thanks, Bob Sadowski
>
>

Bob,

        The stiff action very well could be the cause of an underleveraged
system.  I suggest you take several test samples using the Stanwood formulas
found in the June? Journal.  Determining the Strike ratio (which is derived
by several factors such as front key wt, wippen balance wt, key
ratio...etc.)  If your numbers are as I suspect, you will probably end up
with around 6.5 to 7.0 strike ratio.  The higher the number, the
underleveraged the system is...which translates to the front of the key.
Are the keys filled with lead???  If so, repetition is less and inertia
greater.  Heavier hammers would increase the difficulty of achieved
repetion, uniformity and overall ease of play.  Once obtaining the
measurements (David Stanwood's article shows how to do this) I would be
happy to crunch the numbers for you...e-mail me direct.

Hope this helps,


Dave Swartz, RPT
IICRC Odor Control Technician
dms2000@pioneerplanet.infi.net
or 
dms2000@majesticpiano.com
website:  http://www.majesticpiano.com
SMOKE DAMAGE RESTORATION