<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1141" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bob, first of all, you can't just "dive = in" like that. Either the key dip has to be absolutely even, or at least the = Hammer Line should be. You can't really regulate anything without first setting up = the ,,,,,,,well, what I call the "internal whippen relationship."  The = jack has to be lined up with the back of the knuckle-core, the jack window has to = be correct, the keybed has to be bedded. I would at that time set the = let-off and drop.  (You say it has a drop of 4 mm's? Sacre Bleu!)  =  Perhaps <EM><STRONG>then </STRONG></EM>you can start to evaluate the situation = you're looking at.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    As for the key dip = being correctly set up,, yeah, it may have been, but then the balance rail = punchings have probably been crushed from when the piano was new,,,,,,,,,,  = What's the clearance between the fallboard and the key?  That might give = you a clue as to what's going on.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    On a hand made = piano, like a Steinway, don't,,,,,,,,,,and I repeat,,,,,,,,don't EVER set everything = to a set of specs before you at least look at the piano with all the hardware in = place, and have a chance to at least set a few samples to the specs.  You = can set a piano to the specs with the Japanese pianos, usually. I wouldn't count = on it anywhere else.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hope this helps, if not, I'll be here tomorrow.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kevin.</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=hullfam5@yahoo.com href="mailto:hullfam5@yahoo.com">Bob = Hull</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, March 17, 2003 = 9:14 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> regulation = extremes?</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <P> </P> <P>List, </P> <P>What would you say are the measurement parameters within which you = should stay when adjusting hammer blow distance to acheive correct = aftertouch?  Also, what key dip amounts would be too extreme both too little and = too much?</P> <P>Here is the specific situation I am working on:</P> <P>I am regulating a Steinway M.  The beginning condition of the regulation was:</P> <P>1.  the key dip was inconsistent, some keys were 3/8 and many = were a little more, but less than .390;</P> <P> 2. Hammer line quite uneven; overall seemed to lack = power.</P> <P> 3. Most of the hammers have drop at 3 - 4 mm. or so; 4. = let-off was varied.  Wear on this 20 year old piano is very minimal.  = </P> <P>So, as prescribed in the Steinway manual, I set key dip (on = samples) to .390 (the manual says .390 to .410 can be used;  I set h. blow dist. to 1 3/4.  Set let-off to about 3/32. = Then, aftertouch seemed to be too much - .080 or .090 punchings = added and still had let-off.  I decreased drop to 1/16 or 2 mm. Still, aftertouch too much, seems to me.  (More than .070)  I checked rep. lever ht. and jack position on = these.</P> <P>To try to decrease the aftertouch I lowered the sample hammers to 1 13/16 distance and even more, still = - aftertouch too much!  Am I missing something?  A fine pianist is = coming to do a program on this instrument soon and I want it to be "right". </P> <P>How much can the blow distance be increased until it is = beyond the parameters of the intended design and creating other problems? Particularly for this piano.  And, was that 3/8 dip too = little?  Why was it that way to begin with?  I'm pretty sure no one = else has changed it since the piano was purchased.  Was the = origianal dip maybe greater in a low-humidity situation in a New York winter = when it was originally regulated?  Last weeks posts on aftertouch were appreciated.</P> <P>Thanks.</P> <P>Bob</P> <P><BR> <HR SIZE=1> Do you Yahoo!?<BR><A = href="http://rd.yahoo.com/platinum/evt=8162/*http://platinum.yahoo.co= m/splash.html">Yahoo! Platinum</A> - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, <A = href="http://rd.yahoo.com/platinum/evt=8162/*http://platinum.yahoo.co= m/splash.html">live on your desktop</A>!</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>