Accu-just hitch pins and tuning stability

[Alan Barnard]

I just returned from tuning a Baldwin grand with the Achoo-dust pins. This
piano was last tuned about 7 months ago, by me. It is a sanctuary piano for
a middlin' sized Methodist church so the A/C is set at 85 degrees in the
summer, 50 in the winter, then upped or downed just for Sunday and
Wednesday services. No Dampp-Chaser installed.

It is always remarkable stable. Today, no strings was more than 4 or 5
cents off, most were within a cent or two (measured!)--some sharp, some
flat--and there were quite a few that I took for freebies as they were
dead-on. 

So I don't think the hitch system has any direct bearing (no pun intended)
unless someone has messed with the plate screws or the hitch-height on the
pianos you're talking about. Have others complained about stability in
these pianos? Maybe the Methodists and I are just lucky.

Speaking of that, they have an ooooold Acrosonic spinet in their choir
room, tuned annually. It is a rock of ages for stability. I swear, a
dishonest person could breeze in there and spend about 10 minutes on the
unisons, charge for a full tuning, and split the scene. I think they'd get
away with it for years and years! Darn thing sounds good, too, and has very
little wild and/or wooly strings. Man, they were the only ones to get the
spinet "right" ... a few of these should be dissected in the lab to see
what makes them so different.

Alan Barnard
Salem, Missouri


> [Original Message]
> From: Andrew and Rebeca  Anderson <anrebe@sbcglobal.net>
> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 08/19/2005 12:37:09 PM
> Subject: Accu-just hitch pins and tuning stability
>
> Any old-timers out there with hints on making these more stable?  The 
> two in my customer inventory both needed huge pitch 
> corrections.  They were more work than most other pianos I work 
> with.  Maybe I need to adjust my hammer technique a little.  I will 
> suggest keeping them in tune for greater stability.  Ie. major pitch 
> correction, 2 months regular tuning, four months regular tuning, then 
> every six months etc.  Any other ideas to add to the mix?
>
> Andrew
>
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