Steinway Vertical Climate Control, Tuning Lever Position

[Bdshull@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 99-02-05 11:59:46 EST, you write:

<< Ken Burton wrote:
 
 > (snip...snip)
 >             Steinway uprights share a problem with Heintzman uprights and
 > Mason and Risch pianos--they have a v-bar or capo system that tends to
 > produce severe friction as the wire tries to move. I call them "Type C"
 > pianos because the tuning pin often moves before the pitch changes.
 
Ken,
 
 I don't remember enough about the Heintzman design to say anything about
them,
 but the problem with the Steinway vertical is just the opposite.  There is
not
 enough friction across the V-bar/pressure bar.  To get any semblance of a
 "tuned-duplex" system in the vertical design requires using either an
extremely
 tall V-bar -- which is undesirable for a number of technical reasons -- or an
 extremely shallow string deflection angle across the V-bar.... 

Del>>

Ken, Del, Newton, list:

Thanks for your enlightening discussion on tuning the Steinway upright.

This AM tuned a 1913 Vertegrand which I see every 6 months (Horace Greeley,
you will remember it - owned by a dedicated violist and strings teacher).  It
has had a humidity control system in it for at least 15 years (thanks, Horace)
- and is one of my easiest to tune pianos.  I believe that it would be a nasty
one except for the climate control system.   (Most of my post-El Nino tunings
have been 15-40% pitch raises.)  Original strings, no problem with rust at
bearing points even if they hardly move (no pitch raise or lowerings to do).
I have often wondered if climate control might precipitate string rendering
problems because of the lack of string movement required to tune the piano.
However, these strings render very well.    I recognize that the older pianos
are more stable, but I have many rebuilt old Steinway uprights out there too,
and without climate control they still misbehave and are difficult to tune.
It seems to me that if any piano needed a Damppchaser system, the Steinway
upright does - not only to protect the piano, but to enhance the tuner's
quality of life.

By the way, would someone (Newton?)  clarify the references to the tuning
lever position, the clock face and flagpoling.   What you and I have said
about lever position is opposite, or I have misunderstood.  When I face a
vertical piano I want the tuning lever as parallel to the string as possible -
facing the piano, that is either 12:00 or (although not possible) 6:00.   9:00
would be with the lever parallel to the top of the piano.  It seems to me (and
this is what I try to do as a right handed tuner) that the least amount of
pitch-affected flagpoling will result if I place the lever close to 12:00.
If I am understanding you right, Newton, you recommend 9:00 - which seems to
me to maximize pitch-affected flagpoling (right angle to the string).  But I
might be missing something here - I often do - can you help?

Bill Shull
University of Redlands, Loma Linda University
25826 Davis Way
Loma Linda, CA  92354
(909)  796-4226