Tuning problems

[Glen_Deligdisch@sil.org]

     Dear Pianotech list,

     I tried to tune a Wurlitzer last week and ran into a nightmare.

     The problem showed up while setting up the temperament and then lasted
     throughout the rest of the tuning on the steel strings only.  I muted
     off the piano and was setting the temperament on the center strings.
     Then I would tune the outside strings to bring in the unisons.  I
     muted again just to listen to the temperament and it was wrong.  I
     repeated paying more attention and had the same results.  I then
     experimented a little.

     What I found was, I could set the middle string and then bring in the
     outside string that was not shared with the middle string over the
     hitch pin.  I would then bring the shared outside string into unison
     with the middle string and both would be different from the unshared
     outside string.

     I looked at the hitch pins and noted that they were a massive 3/16
     inch in diameter instead of the normal 1/8 inch that I see in other
     pianos.  My conclusion was that the string must be slipping around the
     hitch pin which really presented me with a dilemma.  This was not a
     isolated problem, there were many that did the same thing so that I
     really felt quite bad about the tuning.

     Do others of you think my conclusion is correct?

     How does one tune a piano with this kind of a problem?

     I am a new technician and would appreciate any advise you all can
     give.

     Thanks,

     Glen

     ---------------------------------------------------------------

     Glen and Ruth Deligdisch
     P.O. Box 248
     Waxhaw, NC  28173

     Tel:  (704) 843-6047

     E-mail:  Glen_Deligdisch@SIL.ORG