Strike Point

[Delwin D Fandrich]

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  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Wimblees@AOL.COM=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: July 06, 2001 3:05 AM
  Subject: Re: Strike Point



  I didn't know Steinway was at 1/8th. I was under the impression that =
the=20
  maximum sound, especially in the last octave, was for 1/7th.=20

  When I first got into the business, I got an Acrosonic with all the =
hammers=20
  torn out. Students at the local university got mad when the school =
announced=20
  a tuition increase, and they decided to destroy university property to =

  protest. Someone opened up the top of the piano, and raked out all the =

  hammers, destroying most of the buts, and some of the wips. The =
university=20
  gave the piano to one of the music students, who called me to "fix a =
couple=20
  of dead keys."=20

  Since I didn't have samples to go by to replace the hammers, etc. I =
called=20
  Baldwin and they told me to cut the shank so that hammer strike point =
for=20
  note 88 was at 1/7 of the string length, and then to cut the rest of =
the=20
  shanks the same length. Since then I learned that most pianos are =
built=20
  basically the same.=20
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-----

Wim,

If someone at Baldwin told you that, they were giving you incorrect =
information. No modern piano has been built using a 1/7 strike point in =
the treble. It's pretty difficult to determine precisely just what ratio =
is used in the treble of the piano. Consider the following:
    52 mm  x 1/18 =3D 2.9 mm
    52 mm x 1/16 =3D 3.3 mm
    52 mm x 1/14 =3D 3.7 mm
    52 mm x 1/12 =3D 4.3 mm

The difference between a strike point (at C-88) of 1/18--extremely =
short--and 1/12--quite long--is only 1.4 mm. Now go look at the typical =
hammer as found in the modern piano at C-88 and tell me you can really =
determine whether the strike point is 1/17 or 1/14 or whatever. This is =
one of those things that is easy to draw out on paper, but is somewhat =
problematic to actually work out in practice.

My own practice has been to draw the scale with a C-88 strike point of =
1/14. The action installer can easily shift the action in or out a half =
mm as required to compensate for the shape--or the off-center =
hardness--of the hammers.

At Baldwin, the hammers were set just a bit below the V-bar--trust me, =
no one ever actually measured the precise amount--and the rest of the =
shanks were trimmed accordingly. If memory serves, most of the Baldwin =
models ended up with a strike point of approximately 1/8 somewhere =
around middle C or a bit below. I say 'approximately' because, like most =
pianos, it is not altogether consistent. (Also, the Model 6000 is an =
exception; it ends up with a strike point ratio of 1/5 at A-1)

Regards

Del


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