On the string breakage note, yesterday I had A1 and A#1 break in a school band room piano... Yamaha P22, 1993 vintage. I was pretty surprised, but it does get used LOTS, and I think it's been abused. Bruises all over, miserable environment conditions (75 degrees, 18% humidity at 5pm... in west central Wisconsin... in February). Soundboard is cracked, hammers are more grooved than most home-based pianos (of that era) I see. The front-to-rear base extensions (the front legs attach to them over the casters) are metal-bracketed (after-market (by the school maintenance dept??)) in an apparent repair effort. Sad.
<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 2/27/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Paul McCloud</b> <<a href="mailto:service@pianosd.com">service@pianosd.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Is this
piano subjected to heavy usage, perhaps in a church?<span> </span>If it is, that would explain a lot of string
breakage. <span> </span></span></font></p><span class="sg">
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"><span> </span>Paul
McCloud</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"><span> </span>San
Diego</span></font></p></span><div><span class="e" id="q_1110441afa36708c_2">
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> <a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a>] <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">On Behalf
Of </span></b><a href="mailto:ginnybear@att.net" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">ginnybear@att.net</a><br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> </span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Tuesday, February 27, 2007</span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">
</span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">9:10 AM</span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"><br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">pianotech@ptg.org</a><br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Birdcage Tech, </span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Baldwin</span></font><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">
String
Breakage</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Does anyone know of a piano tech who is willing to
work on a Danish birdcage/overdamper piano in </span></font>Seattle?
I was able to tune the piano, but it's "near the end of its wear
cycle" and I don't want to get involved with repairing it. Not much
wrong with it yet, but it's old, of course.</p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Second and unrelated, I had a weird multiple string
breaking experience recently. It's about a 6' </span></font>Baldwin
grand, with a hidden (haven't found it yet) serial number, looks pretty
new. It's one of those Baldwins where it's hard to
get the pin to move without moving your hammer much greater than usual, but you
gotta do it for the sake of stability.</p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On my first visit there almost a year ago, it
presented with a broken string, a bichord near the top of the bass. I
replaced it, and tuned the piano (and later replaced it with a pair of custom
strings). </span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When I came back a few weeks ago, two strings broke
while I was tuning. One was next to the string that had broken
previously, one was in the high treble. It really shot my nerves, the
combination of trying to set the pins stably without breaking further
strings! And I was wondering, why so many broken strings on what looked
like a pretty new piano?</span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the checking around I've done, the two most likely
suggestions seem to be that either the piano underwent some abuse (kids or
prior owners- it was bought in an auction?), or the hammers might need
reshaping. I was also encouraged not to be too timid in turning the pins
til I can feel the bottom move, thinking that if a string breaks it's better to
do it when I'm there.</span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Finally, I could note I'm closing in on 500 pianos
tuned. Not the most experienced person on this list, but not a total
beginner either.</span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Thanks for any help on either of these issues.
Broken strings really raise my blood pressure!</span></font></p>
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