UK Piano Page Piano Forum

Withindale

... "Does the double-action repetition (on some uprights) come close to replicating the action on a grand? Perhaps the action is just as good when compared against some grands?" About 20 years ago the Fandrichs produced a upright piano with a similar (i.e. sprung loaded as the Sauter R2) ...

Withindale

Thank you, NewAge. I had a few minutes to kill so I looked at what people had to say about the Sauter R2 on "another forum". The first comments are the advantages of grand actions in general: 1. Repetition: the action has extra parts, to allow you to repeat a note faster, and without relea...

Withindale

Does the Sauter R2 have a similar aftertouch to a grand, the slight resistance before the key reaches the cushion? How far do you have to raise the key from the cushion to repeat; e.g. 2 mm (a little), 5 mm (half way)? How does it work? The Sauter model (link below) appears to have a spring resting ...

Withindale

1. with effective humidity and temperature control 24/7 maybe but what wouldn't 2. be more conducive for your students?

Withindale

You might find, as I once did on a 100 year old piano, that the hammer butts and flanges are dirty; in that case with some tarry stuff that I put down to coal fires. I was able to clean them up one by one out of the piano to good effect. Maybe some photos including closeups would help people to give...

Withindale

This George Russell at £575 is within your budget if still available http://www.caradine.co.uk/pianos_for_sale.asp . When I visited our local dealer the best bet was a Knight at £1750, far better value than all the others at higher and lower prices. I still preferred the upright I found on the inter...

Withindale

Unless you can verify the work has already been done or is not required, budget for several hundred pounds worth of work at the very least to service, repair and regulate any piano you see on ebay. Only a very small percentage are worth a look, although that will depend on what you want.

Withindale

Also see: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr190/chapter_04.pdf (and chap 13) and check Yamaha's website for notes on looking after pianos. Google lists several humdifiers which can be plumbed into the mains and several smart home systems that will monitor conditions while you are away. ...

Withindale

A few points: Have you tried manipulating the damper felts a bit? That can help. I did that a couple of days ago to one on a bass string and now it damps like the others. More generally, have you done any basic servicing and regulation? I'd suggest you put up a photograph or two of the six screws in...

Withindale

WHERE CAN I GET MORE SCIENTIFIC FACTS PLEASE? Three suggestions: 1. Contact some larger piano manufacturers but you may find the "company secrets" files contain less than you imagine. 2. Search for the effects of humidity and temperature on the various types of wood and on antique furnitu...

Withindale

..one other factor for a strong after touch are the rollers they have been put on back to front I think they may have been. It's easier to smooth the nap in the opposite direction to the movement of the jack as you depress the key. ... you do have a lot of friction. have you looked at the hammer sw...

Withindale

With the pedal depressed the range of down weights across the keyboard is 47g (C8) to 67g (C1) and the range of up weights is from about 20g (C8) to 40g (C1). The bump is rather abrupt on most keys. Given that Fred Sturm's allowance of 100g to overcome the repetition spring is the same as my measure...

Withindale

Thanks, Barrie. I'll take a closer look at those rollers. I measured the down weight on a typical key, or should I say up weight. About 66 g depresses it down to the point of "bump" resistance and an extra 100 g is needed to take it down past the bump to the cushion. PS As it happens, Fred...

Withindale

Your legal rights stem from the Sale of Goods Act (e.g. http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/ ... goods-act/) and the terms of your contract with the retailer. As Barrie says you need to discuss the problem with your retailer and see what they say.

Withindale

In the Understanding Regulation thread Otto said, " ... and a load of tension taken off the repeat springs. (No I don't know why they were originally adjusted to be so fierce, either)." Is there a simple way to assess whether "bump" resistance is too much or about right? If it's ...

Withindale

By force of necessity I touched up a unison for the first time the other day using a freebie on my iPhone. It took me ages but I produced a healthy sustain in the end. However the attack is quite different from its neighbours and there is no way I could begin to make it the same. I found it impossib...

Withindale

But…the lower bass strings makes a quite long (and loud) resonance. I've tried to hold a hand against the lowest strings, and then this resonating sound disappears. The damper felt is in good condition (original, not new). I've spoken with several piano technicians, and some of them say that this i...

Withindale

... like your "back street garage" - the average car mechanic is likely to be able to repair any car If you go to an average car mechanic you are likely to get an average repair but that will depend on the work to be done. Replacing light bulbs is one thing (and not always as simple as on...

Withindale

Please see PM.

Withindale

It would benefit the whole piano industry and improve customer satisfaction if, in the event of a problem, the customer's tuner/technician were to report problems not just to the customer but simultaneously to the retailer/manufacturer to avoid any misinterpretions and to expedite the repair. Pleas...

Withindale

I don't know if these grooves will return soon after, because I don't know the composition of the metal on the frame. I don't know if there's a fundamental flaw or if its just that the capo is too sharp. It would be helpful to get an answer to the specific question of the capo bar being too sharp. ...

Withindale

This was written before Joseph's recent post. In view of that the solution might be a some form of replacement deal. Ideally, Brodmann or will refund the money like Yamaha or arrange for the dealer replace the instrument. At present neither outcome seems likely. The legal route is likely to be protr...

Withindale

From the other side of the fence I'd say Barrie's and Colin's advice is spot on. Get yourself a good old upright (or grand if you must) in reasonable condition. It might be out of regulation and out of tune so no one wants it. Then try putting it back to what it was, as best you can, before you do a...

Withindale

Far from what its title suggests, this thread is about any grand better than your Schimmel K169! Why not take your time to play plenty of grands and eventually find the one you want for the money you are prepared to pay? I learnt a lot in a day at the London piano houses but I'd have to go back to m...

Withindale

Jonathan the 2nd wrote: Grand pianos don`t need tapes for repetition .

Thanks to Newton.

Withindale

The full answer to your question is for the experts, but as I understand it the hammers should line up above the rests. The hammer actually rests (indirectly) on the capstan, and you adjust that so that the jack travels far enough to have just moved away from the knuckle as it rebounds. The key hits...

Withindale

Roger Jolly's original article may have had pictures but you can use your action, or say http://www.piano.christophersmit.com/playingMech.html, instead. Technicians spend ages learning to regulate grand pianos so a little bit of homework understanding how things work is warranted! Google for "F...

Withindale

On what basis did you select those shops? How do they propose to handle warranty repairs bearing in mind your location? Why not buy from a local dealer? Who will be looking after your piano?

Withindale

Not 1 and don't do 2 unless you have to. Download 3 and 5 and see what you can make of them. I read most of 3 and then got the feel of it for myself. The other thing to do is look at Ed Foote's posts on various aspects of regulation, posted before Christmas last year on Pianoworld, and then follow t...

Withindale

See Understanding Regulation in this forum - it works.

Withindale

http://www.bolpianos.nl/piano/over-ons/

Withindale

For instance, someone tipped me off that the main piano in the Royal Albert Hall, for a while, was an Ibach.... could it be yours?? (which I want to come and see, I keep meaning to get back to you on that!). is your piano playable? Presumably the Royal Albert Hall had a full size Ibach 270 cm conce...

Withindale

Sucking eggs? Post the question (re Steinway) on Pianoworld and Clavio (re Bluthner, Bosendorfer). Am I allowed to say that here? Talk to Steinway, Bluthner and the music schools in London. See if there are some older concert grands lurking in the Cambridge Colleges. Contact Udo Steingraeber. Post s...

Withindale

vernon wrote:Try not to use your compressor in someone's front room

It was raining and the piano was not so easy to move but no one was looking and it was fun.

Actually, the instrument had been pretty well cleaned so there was precious little left for the air to shift.

Withindale

Bob Pierce wrote:Ask your tuner to do this as part of your tuning/service.

Great idea.

Air, as Colin suggested, from a compressor got rid of the loose stuff and those little toothbrushes shifted much of the grime between the agraffes.

Withindale

The Reblitz book is not suitable for DIY types. I found Reblitz very helpful when I bought a piano for £50 knowing little about it. As far as I know it is the only readily available book of its type. The chapter on regulation is comprehensive but, understandably, its recipes are rather rigid. It le...

Withindale

Is anyone able to suggest a good way to clean off the grime that accumulates on the gilded surface of piano plates between tuning pins and under strings, or is it better to leave well alone until a rebuild (which may be a long way off)?

Thank you for any suggestions.

Withindale

Otto I mentioned Anthony Cooke only after reading your story and seeing his long experience with Steinway. I did mention his credentials, hoping to imply that anyone in the South West or elsewhere with a Steinway to look after might do well to contact him. Someone told me recently that no one surviv...

Withindale

Thanks, Barrie, very informative. You make a telling point that "on most pianos adjusting the springs is not needed unless some has buggered about with them". One wonders why Otto's Steinway D shouldn't be in that category as it had been silky smooth like those at Steinway Hall quite recen...

Withindale

Otto Have read the other thread now, seen your technician's credentials, and picked up Johnkie's nugget about the effect of stuff on strings. What's confusing is Anthony Cooke saying the springs are set too strongly and then Colin saying they may have been de-tensioned too much. Added to that you sa...

Withindale

I followed the links you gave, and reckon that the second (all 50+ pages) is good and close to the sort of thing I had in mind. However there are no diagrams at all and if you don't know what a wippen is (I DO know what a whippet is - got 2 of those), then it's all a bit meaningless. Any piccies to...

Withindale

Thanks, Otto.

In my case the hammers were refelted. Seating the strings and securing all the plate fixings appear to be the answer, though there can always be something you haven't thought of.

Withindale

Try this: http://www.piano.christophersmit.com/popUpMotion.html and this: http://www.pianotreff.nu/tidigare_treffar/2006/Complete%20Grand%20Regulation.pdf We've found out the problem with the 'dead' sounding notes in the 5th/6th octave at p and pp , and barring a couple of notes that still need atte...

Withindale

Have fun Withindale! I've just completed the same task on a 6 foot 6 Barless. Starting from scratch with key-frame bedding it took me 3 full days. I found key levelling and damper adjustment the most time-consuming. The piano is transformed, well worth the effort. No doubt yours will be too, so go ...

Withindale

The curves on the Railsback graph seem unlikely , to comply with a straight line mathematical system such as equal temperament. A Railsback curve plots deviation for all notes of a piano from theoretical, non-inharmonicity, equal temperament. For real pianos the curve will be essentially a smooth l...

Withindale

I'd say ask a tuner but maybe someone here can answer your question without looking at the piano.

Withindale

Well, that's really all I know. There was a boom in piano production around 1900, see quote about Bechstein below. I imagine Bechstein commissioned local production to meet the demand through their London showroom and sales offices. I suppose this could have been local assembly of Bechstein product ...

Withindale

Jonathan the 2nd wrote:A Christmas Puzzle for you all.

Jonathan, Kirnberger is a good Christmas game. You play pieces in different keys. People guess the keys and describe their feelings about each key. It's a shame it's not played more often in these days.

Withindale

Rogers, George, London - Est'd 1843 One of Britain's top manufacturers. We understand that the quality of Rogers' pianos was transformed after building London-made pianos for Bechstein in the early 1890s, and some of Rogers' own models were strikingly similar. http://www.courtneypianos.co.uk/makes-R...

Withindale

...and your piano was designed to be tuned in equal temperament.... Really? The maximum deviation from just is about 17.5 cents which equates to about a 2% change in tension in the string. Overall tension for a just tuning would be slightly less than for equal temperament. Most unequal temperaments...

Search found 183 matches