Discussion Posts

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Oh and I should say, I just put a set of Dale Erwins Americana made by Abel on a Yamaha G3. The G3 is a slightly stingy piano with the volume. First impression, the piano was difficult to play FFF. Dale said they might need a little juice but I left ...

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  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hi Floyd, I would consider where this piano is going to live and how it differs from the 55 RH environment it's in now. I don't think drilling a block that has stabilized in a room for some time at 55 RH is a bad idea. I like to drill a block that has ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I believe it was Roger Jolly who pointed out that when the hammers are cut apart, the release of tension on the sides is what causes the cupping. He recommended to use a single needle and run a stitch along the center line to release the tension in the ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Ah, that explains it. Glad nothing bad happened! Please pass along my gratitude to the folks who worked at PianoTek. Their customer service was excellent.  ------------------------------ Benjamin Sanchez, RPT Piano Technician / Artisan (256) 947-9999 ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I have need for some specs on a  Samick SG-185 grand piano, most particularly stack height and action spread.  Does anyone have their Tech Support phone number? ------------------------------ William Truitt RPT Bridgewater NH (603) 744-2277 ------- ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Good to know, thank you! ------------------------------ Tim Foster New Oxford PA (470) 231-6074 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I hope Bob got the price he wanted for the company.  He has treated us very, very well. In terms of service, I have long regarded Schaff as a poor cousin compared to Pianotek. ------------------------------ William Truitt RPT Bridgewater NH (603) 744-2277 ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I'll take a look at that, I'll be there later this afternoon. Trying to figure this out. Got a couple of great suggestions from this forum. Sent from my iPhone

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Well, that a bit of a relief! Thanks for letting us know! Paul

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    On May 30,2023, Schaff Piano Supply Company purchased the assets of Pianotek Supply Company.  We are currently relocating the inventory to our Lake Zurich facility and will be processing orders as quickly as possible.  Thank you for your patience during ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Is it possible that some piano mover put the wrong screws (longer) in the side legs and screwed the keyframe to the keybed? I have seen this several times over the years. ------------------------------ Tremaine Parsons RPT Georgetown CA (530) 333-9299 ...

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    RE: Pianotek is closing

    Posted in: Pianotech

    So...it looks like you can still order on the website. Anyone know if those orders are being fulfilled? I assume they still have lots of stock on hand and will continue until everything is sold out? ------------------------------ Scott Cole, RPT rvpianotuner.com ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Often there is an oversized lyre screw replacement that penetrates the action.  If you can swivel or pivot the action around a short arc you might even figure out which screw is the culpret. Usually the screw only protrudes a short distance into the ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    A friend wants to know if the plate design, and the pinblock field in particular, are the same for both New York and Hamburg Steinway D's.  Are the castings the same?  Particular interest in the tenor (middle) section. Thanks in advance. ------------------------------ ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Do what Wim says. That piece is called the pitman dowel. It comes out in at least three quarters of the moves I see, and most movers have no idea how to fix it. On some models you can easily slide the dowel around until it falls back in its place. For ...

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    RE: Kawaii Dampers

    Posted in: Pianotech

    There is a short wood dowel with a short pin on each end, that goes from the trap system, up through the keybed, to the damper tray. The pin at the top of the short dowel fits into a hole in the damper tray. When piano is moved, the pin comes out of the ...

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    Kawaii Dampers

    Posted in: Pianotech

    Greetings all.  New Piano Technician here with a customer that needs a tuning.  He has a 5'2" Kawaii GL-20 that has been moved recently.  After the move he says the dampers are sitting to high and making no contact with the strings. He tried adjusting ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Wondering why this issue came up now, they going to move again? Repairing the threads would sure be preferable to taking a chisel to the case. Jane Jones at Samick has been very helpful as of late and they seem to be stocking a lot of parts. Customer ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Just called to see. Apparently it's true. So sad! I hope nothing's wrong. Last I knew they were supposed to reopen today from the holiday weekend and weren't planning on closing their business. :( ------------------------------ Benjamin Sanchez, RPT ...

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    Pianotek is closing

    Posted in: Pianotech

    I called Pianotek and their answering machine says that they are closing and no longer taking orders. Along with Schaff, Pianotek is a frequent flier for me and I feel concerned about this news, since some of my important purchases through them are not ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Try pressing down onA0 and looking for a screw going through the cheek block at an angle. Same thing on note 88 - screw going down through the cheek block. There also may be little pieces of wood over the pins coming out the side of the front key frame ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I have a customer with a 19th century Knabe grand. I need to remove the action and cannot find the screw or device keeping the action from releasing and sliding out. Anybody experienced this on old Kenabe’s? Sent from my iPhone

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Doing a search here on "pinblock +drilling +humidity" confirmed my suspicion that drilling a new pinblock without mitigating high ambient humidity is a recipe for disappointment. So my question is, how do I, in fact, mitigate high ambient humidity. ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I have experience of Abel hammers on a grand used for concerts. At first they are soft. I let them be played in and the sound became near what I wanted. However, they come higher at the edges than the middle. Perhaps sanding them level initially would ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Where can the leg bolt plate for the Samick Wurlitzer (pictured above) be purchased from?  ------------------------------ Brenda Pitezel ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I recently hung some new Abel hammers from Pianotek on an old vertical. I figured it would still have a soft sound, but the new hammers made it softer and woofier. I've told the owner to play on them for a while. However, as an experiment, I did try ...

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    RE: Grinder/buffer?

    Posted in: Pianotech

    Jessica, Thanks, great tip! Scott ------------------------------ Scott Cole, RPT rvpianotuner.com Talent, OR (541-601-9033 ------------------------------

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    RE: Grinder/buffer?

    Posted in: Pianotech

    The grinder leaves bits of metal and grit from the the wheel that will get onto the cloth or felt wheel and make it scratch plastic. If you have to have one grinder take the cloth wheel off. I myself think the best set up for buffing is a spindle/ ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I had this problem on a Baldwin SD 6. The wire wouldn't move even though I moved the pin. When it finally moved, there was a tick. I was told by a member of the group that it was the brass alloy. That was almost 20 years ago. I just got a call from them ...

  • Posted in: CAUT

    Scott I have a Rockwell Radial drill press that allows the head to swivel 90 degrees. In my small 450ft first shop it was my buffer. With 5 belt speeds I had options and I used a motor arbor to hold the buffing wheels and chucked it into the drill ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    That's a great idea - I hadn't thought of that! ------------------------------ Darryl Delamont ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Thanks, Les. In this case I wasn't able to fit a socket (it would run into the curve of the leg before getting any reasonable purchase on the bolt) but a 13/16" open-ended wrench worked to tighten the legs enough for them to be safe and functional again.  ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Thanks, Bob - my adjustable wrench was too thick, but a 13/16" open-ended wrench did the trick and that got it stable again, so thankfully the join between the upper and lower leg sections doesn't appear to be a major contributor to the issue.  ------------------------------ ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Thanks, Michael. Due to the curve of the leg there isn't room around the bolt for a socket to fit on, and when I measured I didn't have one big enough in any case (my largest is 15/16). I had tried using an adjustable wrench but because of the thickness ...

  • I am arriving early to the convention to perform delegate duties and staying  a few extra days to sight see.  Love it if you could sight see with me. ------------------------------ Dorothy Hopkins Lynden WA (360) 595-4318 -------------------------- ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Thanks, Paul. I've tried to find schematics for these pianos, but it's challenging to find ones that are necessarily accurate to the time period when this one was made. All that I have seen, though, have the leg assembly as a single piece that's bolted ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Thanks, James. The piano has been in place for about 8 years and we've only noticed this recently, so I don't expect that it is directly related to when it was moved (though it's always possible that it was not reassembled to spec and that's caused it ...

  • Posted in: CAUT

    I have used my variable speed drill press for buffing for years. I use it at the lowest speeds and get less overheating and damage to plastics.  I find that most grinders, even variable speed ones don't go slow enough for me. It saves on shop space ...

  • Posted in: CAUT

    Paul, that is obviously the best solution, thank you ! Patrick is right, it would not be wise to go the "hacking Apple" route. Best, Allan Sutton, m.mus. RPT, TEC www.pianotechniquemontreal.com

  • Posted in: CAUT

    Here's something that might work: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Failure-Detector-Message-Alerts/dp/B089QQNKJLhttps://www.amazon.com/Power-Failure-Detector-Message-Alerts/dp/B089QQNKJL ------------------------------ Paul McCloud, RPT Accutone Piano ...

  • Posted in: CAUT

    You could use a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to provide power to the Lifesaver system if the power is removed.  It will make beeping sounds to indicate that power has been lost.   If you use one, when someone unplugs the piano, they'll hear it.  ...

  • Posted in: CAUT

    I'm just a very long time Apple product user, but I think hacking AirTag technology is a lost cause. Apple is very concerned about controlling their technology, and regularly throws up roadblocks when they think their technology is being used inappropriately. ...

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  • Posted in: CAUT

    Thank you Kenneth, James, The problem we have is exactly what you describe. If you know an engineer who may be looking for an unusual and exciting project, I have prepared this solicitation: We're developing a project in a music school ...

  • Posted in: CAUT

    I AM INVESTIGATING USING THE INTERNET TO MONITOR AND SEND ME REMOTE READINGS FROM A NUMBER OF CHURCH LOCATIONS THAT HAVE UPGRADED THEIR INTERNET. A FEW YEARS AGO I DISCUSSED THIS IDEA WITH THE SERVICE REP I WORKED WITH WHEN I PURCHASED A NUMBER OF LASCAR ...

  • Posted in: CAUT

    I don't know about air tags, but a possible solution would be to use a data logger which can send email notifications when parameters you set are exceeded. We use those for rooms where multiple pianos are kept, but there is no reason you couldn't secrete ...

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    RE: Grinder/buffer?

    Posted in: Pianotech

    If you have limited shop space, yes one grinder that subs as a polisher will work, just be aware that it will fling "crud" off so have it set up so it doesn't spread it all over your shop, and so you can clean it up easily. Variable speed is almost ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I have suspiciously noticed that certain manufacturer's agraffes tend to stick more than others.  I wonder if it isn't the alloy used in the agraffe, perhaps some were more of a bronze alloy instead of brass. It is interesting to look at Wikipedia's listing ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Joe, I stand corrected on lanolin being the equivalent of "mutton tallow".  However, natural fats and oils are usually composed of fatty acids which can degrade into an acid group, essentially acetic acid (vinegar) which causes copper acetate to form ...

  • Posted in: CAUT

    Hello everyone, Is there someone who tried hacking Apple AirTags or similar to send us an alert when a piano's humidity system is being unplugged ? ------------------------------ Allan Sutton, m.mus. RPT Saint-Laurent QC (514) 344-8008 www.pianotechniquemontreal.com ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I have a dedicated grinder with dual wheels, one coarse and one fine.  I don't do a lot of grinding.  It's mostly for sharpening and dressing tools.   I only bring it out from the cupboard when I need it and clamp it to the bench.  For buffing and polishing ...