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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I couple weeks ago I did a "sight unseen" consult
for a local tuner. The piano in question was an old upright player.
This tuner happens to be the piano player for the restaurant owning the
piano. Please take note that he is more a musician than a tuner and just
tunes some on the side. Nice guy and a good tuner (not tech).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The problem. "When I use the soft pedal, one
note seems to be not only striking it's own strings, but the strings
adjacent. It is only when I use the soft pedal".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>And, "I've had two other techs that I know look at
the piano and they think the player system is interfering and causing the
problem. It's getting worse each week."</FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I explain that it is *very* unlikely to have a
player action in an upright player as the cause of his problem. My first
guess is that since, by his observation, it only happens when using the soft
pedal, when the hammers are brought closer to the strings he has two hammers
converging due to bad travel or warped shanks. Upon playing one
note a neighboring hammer is caught and also travels to it's
strings. If the soft pedal is not used there is enough clearance for each
note to work individually.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"Please come and look, I think it's the player as
techs X and Y have said."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So I go. I look. I ask, "Does the
player work?"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"No, I don't think so", he says. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"Well, it's always best to try these things
first."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So I pump. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
Hmmm. A very little bit of exploring to find the main exhauster hose from
the stack to the pump disconnected.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"Oh, tech X and I pulled the player out of the way
so we could look at the action".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>That explains it ;-)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Connect the hose and away it goes. Pumps like
a charm! Good. Now for the problem that I'm there to address.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I ask that he tell me which is the offending note
without touching it. F#4 right where you have the spoolbox in the
way. Isn't it always!? Without using the soft pedal, I slowly
depressed the key and sure enough it grabbed the G. Of course it did the
same with the pedal, too. He always uses the pedal so hadn't actually
tried it without. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The cause...either a loose/broken/whatever
wippen flange or, the most likely, an unglued jack flange. While holding
gently the "G hammer" to keep it from moving and sloooowly depressing the F#
key, I could feel the jack trying to catch the G and jumping out from under that
butt.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So, wrote up the estimate for the restaurant owner
and I'm waiting to hear. Will, of course, reglue all jack flanges, tighten
what needs to be tightened, and loosen what is too tight. File the
hammers, etc. After all, nobody else has a clue evidently so this stuff
better get done while I've got it!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>BIG question? If at least one of these techs
removed the player to look at the piano action, didn't they test it without the
player in place? Why oh why could no one else solve this?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>GRRRRRRR.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks for letting me carry on this rant. I
feel better now LOL.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Debbie</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>