Very interesting question--

[Mark Bolsius]

I had one piano that new that I went to that was 350 cents flat. It was
Chinese and had been purchased in China direct from the factory while the
owners were on a posting there. It was cheaper to buy it than rent it. In
the end they chose to bring it back with them (I didn't ask why - these
people have heaps of doughand the upright sits upstairs rarely used). The
piano was allegedly tuned and set-up by a technician from the factory less
than 12 months before I saw it.

 

Now admittedly, the piano had since come from China to Australia, but the
trip ain't that bad! So I pulled it up (thank you Dean for RCT's pitchraise
function, and in a total of 3 passes it was up there and somewhat stable.
These days the piano is more stable than the rebuilt grand downstairs!

 

Cheers 

 

Mark Bolsius

 

  _____  

From: David Nereson [mailto:dnereson at 4dv.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, 31 January 2007 6:40 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: RE: Very interesting question--

 

    I've encountered maybe two pianos over 30 years that were about a minor
third flat (about 300 cents), and they had come from humid climates to a dry
one, so the soundboard lost much crown.  I've found individual strings much
flatter, of course, due to loose tuning pins.  

    --David Nereson, RPT

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org]On Behalf
Of PIANOTECHNICIAN at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 7:20 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org; BEATLSONGS at aol.com
Subject: Very interesting question--

I wonder what the limit is as to how far flat a piano will go if it is never
tuned. Let's say a piano was built in 1900, tuned many times in the factory
until the strings were stretched out and the tune stabilized.

If it were never tuned after that, would it reach a point, let's say, in the
1960's, 70's, or 80's where it would not go flat any more? And how flat
would it end up being -- 150 cents? 200 cents? I'm curious because I've seen
many old uprights that were about 150 cents flat, and I wondered if they
were ever tuned over their 100 year lifetime.

 

Jesse Gitnik

NYC

Tech since 1980

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