String Replaced

[Farrell]

The crack in the soundboard will have not effect on tuning. The only bad thing a crack can do is buzz.

If you have a Baldwin with a real tight modern Baldwin-type pinblock, I would suggest trying to find another piano to learn tuning on. Any proficient tuner should have not major problem with a tight block, but it does take a little experience and IMHO, definately not for the beginner.

To move these tight pins requires a very short, quick, controlled yank on the tuning lever. With practice you can make the pin move and only bring it up a few cents (or less). When beginning one tends to give a long even pull on the tuning lever (at least I started that way). With a real tight pin, this will result in the string going up a quarter to a half note - you'll never get it like that.

If you start on a piano that has an easy block - not too loose, nor too tight - you can start with your slow steady pull and have success. With experimentation you will learn how to give the pin the short, tiny pulls that result in pin, but perhaps only raise the pitch a half-centmovement (I actually do this very slowly, but most of the time I am pulling, I do not move the pin, but wait being very observant, for just the slightest movement). After learning how to do this on an easy block, then one can move to the nightmare Baldwin epoxy pinblocks. I'm not kidding about these things - they are really tough!

Good luck Laura!

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Van Der Rhoer" <laurav1@mac.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 11:47 AM
Subject: String Replaced


> Now that the Middle C string has been replaced, here is what the technician
> thought about my Baldwin:  he said it was "not undangerous" to tune because
> the pins are quite tight, but when they move they move a great amount
> unexpectedly.  He thought I probably had that happen.
> 
> Kevin Ramsey, you suggested that Baldwins are famous for tight pinblocks
> (and both you and Terry Farrell thought that that was the reason for the
> cracking sounds) -- sounds spot on.  But then suddenly the pin moves a lot,
> the technician said, and that's when it gets tricky.
> 
> Apparently, there are also two or more cracks in the soundboard, which were
> repaired earlier, but he also suggested it makes string breakage more
> possible; somehow to do with getting the piano pitch to A 440, which was
> done two weeks before, but makes for tricky tuning.  Too advanced for me,
> I'm afraid.  
> 
> Thank you, Dave Nereson, for your description of the many different reasons
> why strings break.
> 
> Thanks also to Greg Newell (on tapping bridge pins), and Keith Roberts (on
> buying a micrometer and replacing strings).
> 
> Incidentally, the technician replaced the string in about 20 minutes; the
> Middle C string passes under the bass strings, which makes the process a
> little harder and takes a little more finesse.  (It's also much more
> difficult to reach the bridge pins, since they lie under the bass string
> section, in order to tap them in.)  However, he noticed the bridges were
> made with a graphite treatment/layer for the strings to pass over them with
> less friction.  I asked him to lubricate them, but he didn't see the need
> given the graphite layer on the bridges.  Baldwin evidently has a clever
> feature there!
> 
> Thanks to all,
> 
> Laura 
>