[pianotech] S&S regulation problem

[David Nereson]

   Have tuned a 1975 S&S L for years, and now the school (owner) 
can finally spring for a regulation & voicing job.  I think the 
only textbook regulation I've ever encountered was a 
not-very-old Yamaha grand once.  All the others have had some 
problem that's not in the books or seminars.
    This one seems to have rest cushions that are too high (too 
thick).  The blow is now at 1 5/8" and the shanks are sitting 
right on the cushions.  So, I can't check  repetition lever 
"height" by winking the jacks [really we don't wink the jacks; 
we flip the jack tender and it's the shank that "winks"], and 
there's no rebound room.
These are the cushions that are covered by red bushing cloth, 
making it difficult to peel off a small layer of felt.  There's 
already minimal aftertouch.  I could make the dip deeper, but 
it's already deeper than ideal.  I hate to raise the hammer line 
for more aftertouch because it'll put the blow at a mere 1 1/2".
    I bedded the keyframe the old way, with stack on and keys 
removed and didn't notice anything weird.  Key height is at 
Steinway spec.  Stack hasn't been shimmed or lowered.  Maybe the 
plate and strings are too low.  The problem is at its worst in 
the high treble.  No concert artists are going to play it, but 
still, I wonder why it's this way and can it be fixed?

    Other things I notice:
    Some of the hammer flange screws won't tighten enough to 
hold the butts firmly to the hammer rail.  I think the tip of 
the screw is hitting the bottom of the hammer "rail" (tube).  In 
other words, the flange screws are too long or the butts aren't 
thick enough.  No, no washers on the flanges.  Perhaps some 
should be installed.  I've never run into this before.
    No, it doesn't look like anything's been altered.  Knowing 
the school system, they never pay for anything except tuning, so 
I doubt anybody has ever changed shanks/flanges or screws.
    And, even when hammers are spaced (aligned to strings), the 
backchecks have to be bent so far to align with the hammer tails 
that they hit neighboring hammers when key is bottomed (top of 
backcheck hits or rubs neighboring hammer, sometimes causing key 
to not return).
    Steinway quality "control" is nowhere near that of Yamaha or 
Kawai, from what I've observed
    --David Nereson, RPT