heart stopper

[Wimblees@AOL.COM]

Last months ago I tuned a small 4 year old Samick grand. Yesterday the 
customer called and said there was a very strange noise coming from the 
bowels of the piano. Please hurry.

When I got there today I played a few notes, and sure enough, it sounded like 
a heavy weight was on the soundboard. But upon inspection, could not find 
anything. I removed my jacket and said, "This sounds serious." I thought 
about all the possibilities. Loose ribs, loose bridges, separated soundboard. 
How could this be. It was a nice piano. Nothing had happened? She did move to 
a new house 4 months ago, but the tuning was fine last month. 

OK, lets take a look under the piano. At first, nothing unusual. I pressed up 
on the soundboard all around the curved edge of the piano. All in tact. Then 
I moved to the straight part. Still OK. Just as I was about to get back out 
from under, my eye caught a glimpse of something black on top of one of the 
beams. Hello, what is that. I reached up and removed, guess what,...... the 
large allen wrench used to tighten the leg bolts. 

Apparently the movers had left it there when they set up the piano. While the 
soundboard had moisture in it, it held the allen wrench tight between the rib 
and the beam. But we've had so much cold weather here the last month, the 
soundboard dried out enough to allow it to vibrate against the rib. 

My customer was extremely grateful, but not enough to offer to pay me for my 
service. She's a nice lady, and I have tuned her pianos for 20 years. I''ll 
let this one go. It was worth it. 

Willem