and then I said "duuhhhh...."

[Roger Jolly]

At 06:04 PM 11/4/97 UT, you wrote:
>My client with a Yamaha C3 didn't get what he wanted from the dealership in 
>the way of action adjustments to his piano, and a lot of hammers were
blocking 
>during peak humidity times, so he "turned a few screws" (mostly let- off 
>adjustments).  
>
>Now that he trusts me (he has had me tune it every three months for a
year) he 
>asked me to do some work on the regulation.  He's a really good pianist and 
>was bothered by unevenness in the action.  
>
>I skinned the hammers lightly and found that 1-3/4" was about the maximum
blow 
>I was going to get without having the shanks on the rest felts.  I set the 
>hammerline (using Jon Page's "Tautline" tool, which is a great little
device), 
>set letoff and drop, and that was about all I had time for.
>
>The client is delighted, and feels that the action is "much lighter now,"
and 
>more fun to play.
>
>Well, I don't have the Yamaha specs for the C3, but isn't this a pretty
short 
>hammer blow distance?  And I can understand why the problems of unevenness
are 
>gone, but why does it feel "lighter" ?
>
>Rob Stuart-Vail
>
>Hi Rob.
        The blow distance spec is 45-46mm. Yamaha produces a nice plastic
blow gauge Part No. TX626201    
  Uneven touch on new Yamahas is invariably caused by tight balance rail
pin holes, I always ream from the bushing side of the key with a Yamaha
made tool, this seems to give the best results. As an addition you might
consider spraying the knuckles with dry lube, it makes a big difference.
 Hope this helps. 
Roger Jolly
University of Saskatchewan
Dept. of Music.