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<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS"><FONT
color=#008080 size=2>Just reading David Nereson's post about the old =
Blüthner he
takes care of. He comments: </FONT><FONT color=#008080><FONT =
size=2><SPAN
class=622313517-01022005>"</SPAN>Can't regulate let-off in the piano =
-- no way
to get at the regulating screws."</FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2>Which brings up an important point for me. How DO you regulate =
hammer
height and letoff in the grand piano? The method I learned is: Pull the =
action,
measure string height at the extremes of each section using a string =
height
gauge and a busines card; put the action on a nice, firm, flat surface =
(I know
that this is the place where errors creep in, if the keybed and the work =
surface
are not both quite flat); use a contraption to simulate string height; =
and
regulate hammer height, letoff, checking, drop, etc outside the
piano.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2>In some situations I have had to do an on-site regulation where =
there is
no good, flat surface for the action, so I've tried to do it in the =
piano. I
can't see how you can do a good job with it. Feeding a hammer blow gauge =
through
the dampers, turning it 90 degrees and pulling it gently up to contact =
the
undersurface of the string, and holding it there while trying to get an =
eyeball
on the hammer surface from the front of the piano and using the other =
hand to
regulate the capstan ... difficult enough to do samples but what a =
challenge to
do them all that way. Very hard to get a good line of sight over the =
hammer
flange under the pinblock. So I have resorted to approximating, =
measuring only a
few, pulling the action into my lap and eyeballing the tweeners. I =
*know* the
results are not as good as what I could do on a good =
bench.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2>Same issue for letoff, and same for backcheck. No doubt you =
more
experienced folks have developed fast, efficient, easy ways to do this. =
Please
enlighten.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT color=#008080 =
size=2><FONT
face="Trebuchet MS">Does Bill Spurlock's description sound like what =
any of you
do? "<FONT color=#000000>hunching over the stretcher, peering past the =
dampers
and through the strings to judge let-off distance, then looking under =
the
pinblock to place the tool on the adjusting screw, then leaning forward =
again to
watch as you make the adjustment. All the while you must "squeeze" the =
key
gradually to slow hammer movement enough that you can accurately see the =
let-off
point."</FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS"
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=2>| | | | =
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<DIV><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" size=2>Jason Kanter . piano tuning =
regulation
repair</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><A href="mailto:jkanter@rollingball.com"><FONT
face="Trebuchet MS">jkanter@rollingball.com</FONT></A><FONT =
face="Trebuchet MS">
. cell 425 830 1561</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" size=2>serving the =
eastside and the san
juans</FONT></DIV></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>