key weight

[RicB]

    List,

Hi William

Depends on what you mean by touchweight.  Downweight on most quality 
grands is specified around 50 gram... not 60.  Balance weight (which is 
what I think of when I hear the term "touch weight")  is usually around 
36 grams.

Where 60 grams comes in the picture I do not know. 

Cheers
RicB


    I was in a store in Orlando over the weekend and heard a Kawai rep
    helping
    with a sale.  This was a sales rep not a tec man.  His comment that
    raised
    my attention was that there pianos were at 60 grams touch weight,
    which is a
    standard on Steinway, Yamaha and all quality pianos.

    Now that I have your atention let me tell you that I have gone to
    NAMM shows
    before and asked that very question, "what is the standard for touch
    weight"
    and no one would give me a strait answer.  I also know that most
    pianos that
    I see, good grand's, are indeed around 60 grams.   

    Now can anyone give me a strait forward answer?  What is the touch
    weight
    that I should be looking for in medium to high quality grand pianos
    today.
    I have heard people brag about 52 grams and such, but I just don't
    see it.
    I have run a gram weight scale on every key from 1 to 88 on a lot of
    pianos
    and on my new pianos I have brought the weight from 68 to 70 down to
    62 and
    60 on a lot of keys.  After that I have lubed, repinned and removed mass
    from the hammer heals, but, you guessed it, it never gets much below 60.

    Any one want to give me some guidance?
    William