I believe Overs targets 10.25 dip for his actions. Ten mm is a nice target but in practical terms, especially when rebuilding actions, you have to compromise at times. Moreover, many pianos in their original form were not designed for 10 mm dip. Original Steinway actions with higher action ratios call for shallower dip. Some pianists prefer the older style actions with shallower dip, higher ratios, lower strike weights and relatively low front weights. The standard has changed but not all tastes have. Additionally, when you are replacing parts or going with a high strike weight action for tonal reasons (though I rarely find the need for that) without the use of assist springs or maxing out the front weights, a compromise of the key dip may be appropriate to accommodate a choice of parts and key ratios that gives you a low enough action ratio to get the weight and balance in order. Adhering rigidly to 10 mm dip or 10.2 or 9.5 or whatever often wont serve you the best. Often splitting the difference between changes in dip and blow is required. The important lesson, especially these days where weight and balance concerns can often trump adherence to regulation requirements, is to be sure that you start with targeted regulation specifications and work backwards to weight and balance requirements always keeping in mind the tonal goals of the instrument. Inevitably small compromises in each area may be necessary. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Andersen Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 11:42 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] Fwd: Erwins key dip gauge Hi, Andre. This is 100% my procedure as well, except I use 10.2mm instead of 10mm---a teeny little difference. Otherwise, exact, exact, precise and complete custom-to-that-action regulation, and make the final feel of aftertouch with with slight hammerline variations. Andre is so lyrical, and exactly echoes my experience. David Andersen On Feb 27, 2009, at 1:12 PM, andré oorebeek wrote: I would like to explain just a little about the way I make aftertouch because I have the feeling that some here do not understand what I am talking about. Let me first make clear that it took me one whole week of practice (at Yamaha) to make sure that my 10 mm key dip was a Yamaha 10 mm key dip. I think that grueling week has made me appreciate a 10 mm key dip. For me that is the absolute basis of a regulation. What follows (the outcome) depends on the physical abilities of keyboard and action. A very sharp and refined regulation (what I call a turbo regulation) usually gives a big enough striking distance to ensure raw power, and I always get what I want. The key dip is therefor my basis, my anchor. If it is good, it is good. I shall not touch it. The aftertouch I make by indeed raising or lowering (usually the latter) the hammer line, thereby following the string level. To me, that means getting the utmost of power and energy. I have learned it from, among others Takahara-san and it gives me incredible pleasure because it always works and I can always squeeze the last drop of power, followed by a nice tuning. Voicing all that power is like working with jewels, the crown jewels of the instrument. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech_ptg.org/attachments/20090228/7648d134/attachment.html>
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