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 is 45-46mm. Yamaha makes a nice but cheap
distance gauge Part No. TX626201. Also has let off and backcheck distance.
 Your uneven touch on a newer Yamaha is probabily from tight balance rail
holes.
Ideally the hole should be reamed from the top. I usually spray the
knuckles with dry lube, as it seems to make a big difference to even out
the friction.
Hope this helps
Roger
Roger Jolly
University of Saskatchewan
Dept. of Music.