[pianotech] S&S regulation problem

[Al Guecia/AlliedPianoCraft]

Raising the key height should fix many of your issues. If the screws are to 
long, (I have seen that before, because of the flange compressing) snip off 
the tip. Using a washer may cause to screw to strip out.

Al



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From: "David Nereson" <da88ve at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 3:21 PM
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Subject: [pianotech] S&S regulation problem

>   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
>