[pianotech] Tuning the top end of a grand and tuning levers

[Larry Fisher RPT]

Hey Marshall,

I’ve worn out a few student levers from Schaff, numerous tips, two extension levers and I’m currently using a Jahn or at least that’s what it says on the head (it says 15 degrees on the other side).  I really like the smooth operation of the extension and the ball on the end of the lever has been an improvement on how my hand holds on to it.  The ball on the end seems to fit the natural shape of my hand better which adds up to a happier hand by the end of the day.   I’ve learned a serious lesson in you get what you pay for.  The Jahn is by far the most expensive lever I’ve ever purchased and has been the best performing lever of my 40 some odd years tuning.  I might add that my days of doing 4 and 6 pianos a day for an extended period of time is over.  My body doesn’t like three pianos a day any more and so I limit those days to the month of December.  My issue is the muscles in my right neck on down to the area between the spine and the right clavicle.  On the third piano, those muscles start to give me an attitude and get mouthy.  The lighter the lever, the less trauma to that area.  As for tuning while standing up  ............  no way.  I’m just under 6 foot and I have to bend over just enough to cause serious back pain if I were to reach the keys on an extended basis.  The top section of the piano is tuned with me repeatedly getting up and sitting back down to move the wedges as I go although I’m getting pretty good at feeling the wedge drop into place without looking  ..... and lately my accuracy rate with this method has been quite good.

As for tuning the top end of a grand, I use a back handed method with my right hand sometimes and other times I switch hands.  It’s easier to tune left handed at the top anyway plus it moves the pounding .... uh .....   string setting over to the other hand for a while.  At first I had to really concentrate but now I don’t give it a second thought.  Yes the unisons are the touchiest up there.  Find the best sound and set them to stick.

I moved up a notch from the student levers and bought a lever with a threaded end on it so I could change tips and heads.  (1972 Twin Cities, MN)

I purchased a lever from APSCO that was mostly solid iron.  (1976 Brainerd, MN) The idea being that most the weight was in your hand making moving from pin to pin a breeze.  I was young then.  I wouldn’t dare use that one today.  If you happened to drop this one, you lost your profits for the day and maybe the week depending on what it hit.  

I went back to the threaded end type for awhile and broke the end off of it somehow.  I remember picking it up off the floor .....  the head in one hand and the lever in the other.  But that’s all I remember.  (1990 Day Music shop, Portland OR)

I’ve worn out the extension mechanism on two such levers from Schaff.  One had the vinyl covered handle (1985 Cheyenne WY) and the other was rosewood I guess (1988 Vancouver WA).  The first one ceased up in the extended position and so I just let it be there.  The second one failed to tighten anymore.   I tried grinding down the threaded collar to make the thing work better but then a vendor at a conference had a Jahn lever that was wagging it’s tail at me jumping up and down as if to say “Take me, Take me!!”  I’ve been quite happy with it.

The various levers I’ve used lately  ............  in the last 20 years or so, ..........  have all cleared the plate.  The only place I’ve had issues is note number one and sometimes number two as well where the pins are so close to the music rack guide rail.  I haven’t so far, but I’m contemplating keeping a student lever handy as a substitute to reach in there since it’s so low profile.  I haven’t had to remove the guide rail yet but it sure has been a close fit on some of them.



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