[pianotech] Tuned my first "bird-cage" piano

[Rob McCall]

I have two overdamper pianos on my client list. A 1908 Bluthner and a 1889 Ibach.  

I just tilt the action back, put in a strip mute and leave a tail that I can reach at the break. I then tilt the action back in place.  I tune up the centers in one section, and then back down tuning the right string to the center as I pull the mute strip out one note at a time.  Then on the way back up again, I tune the left string to the center and right (which hopefully are spot on)  :-) Any notes that give me any difficulty I use the Papps treble mute, which seems to have been designed with the overdamper piano in mind. :-)

With this method I found it doesn't take much longer than a regular upright.  Maybe an extra 15 minutes is all...

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Rob McCall

McCall Piano Service, LLC
www.mccallpiano.com
Murrieta, CA
951-698-1875

On Jan 06, 2012, at 23:20 , tnrwim at aol.com wrote:

> Duaine
>  
> Why did you take out the dampers? I is difficult, but the easiest way, using a SAT and without a strip mute, is to put a rubber mute through the action to dampen one of the strings for each note.
>  
> Wim
> 
>  
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Duaine Hechler <dahechler at att.net>
> To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Sent: Fri, Jan 6, 2012 8:22 pm
> Subject: [pianotech] Tuned my first "bird-cage" piano
> 
> Tuned my first "bird-cage" piano - a Chappell & Co.
> 
> At first, I thought I would try it without taking out the dampers. Quickly found 
> that the dampers had to go. THAT was 
> quite a challenge tuning with the whole piano zinging. Quickly figured out that 
> the quieter I played each note the less 
> zing you would get. Dang I wish I had a strip mute.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Duaine Hechler
> Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ
> Tuning, Servicing&  Rebuilding
> Reed Organ Society Member
> Florissant, MO 63034
> (314) 838-5587
> dahechler at att.net
> www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com
> --
> Home&  Business user of Linux - 11 years
> 

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