Strips or wedges

[Wim en Debby]

Hi Jim,
I got a question for you.  I always tune the thirth octave first. Sometimes
the fourth also to check . Then l always tune the Bass before l get further
on with the treble. l was taught that the Bass has a bigger effect on the
soundboard and therefore l must tune it first. lm interested to know why you
"save the Bass for last".
Best regards,

Wim Vermeyen
Wim's Piano Service
Ekeren, Belgium

-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Jim Coleman, Sr. <pianotoo@imap2.asu.edu>
Aan: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Datum: dinsdag 27 oktober 1998 4:29
Onderwerp: Strips or wedges


>Hi Bill:
>
>Thanks for sharing your views about strips and wedges. Since many people
>have watched my videos on tuning, I thought I should jump in here on this
>subject and tell what I really do now as opposed to what I used to do.
>
>I believe it is true that tuning with single wedges can give better
>stability. However, there is a difference in how stability works in the
>different sections of a piano. I always tune the Bass last because it
>changes the least. My present practice is to strip mute the midrange of the
>piano. I find that I can tune the unisons in that area by ear much faster
>than in using the machine to tune each individual string. I can also hear
>higher partials in the range and therefore get better accuracy. I find that
I
>can tune the upper treble better if I tune each string using the machine.
>For this reason, I use only one or two wedges in the upper treble. With the
>wedges, I can isolate each string and also listen to the overall effect of
>the unisons when I am through. On Grands, I use two fat wedges. The
>most stable way to tune the treble is to tune right string first (its
length
>from V-Bar to tuning pin is the longest and most stable), then tune the
>middle string, and last tune the left string. If the total unison (all
three
>string sounding together) has slipped, I retune right then and there.
>
>On uprights, I use a wire handled rubber wedge sold by Pianotek. Sometimes
>I use a split rubber wedge, tuning the right string first, move the split
>wedge to cover boths sides, tune the center string, move the wedge between
>the center and right strings while I tune the left string last. If the
>unison sounds great, then I move to the next unison.
>
>Next, I tune out the unisons of the center section by ear, listening to the
>highest partials I can hear clearly.
>
>Last, I tune out the Bass using a strip sometimes for speed. If the
midrange
>has drifted the least little bit, I tune the Bass to match and then tune
out
>the unisons afterward.
>
>All of the above is for fine tuning.
>
>If a pitch raise is necessary, I strip all the way to the top and bottom
>more or less like in the video. Now, with the advent of the SAT III, I can
>use the 33% overshoot for the Treble and 25% overshoot for the Bass. It
>works real neat.
>
>Jim Coleman, Sr.
>