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Trouble Tuning Unisons

  • 1.  Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Posted 04-29-2019 07:45
      |   view attached
    Tuned an older Baldwin grand the other day. Had much difficulty tuning some of the unisons. Seems that on many notes the right string sounded very weak, and hence was difficult to tune that unison. Might any experienced techs care to speculate why?
    ;-)

    I hope it is okay to post something of a (sad) funny......

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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  • 2.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-29-2019 08:28
    Terry,

    It must be you because those hammers look perfectly good. Just hit it harder next time. 

    🤓

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-29-2019 14:26
    A picture is worth a thousand words.

    LOL

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    Susan Kline
    Philomath, Oregon
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-29-2019 15:12
    Susan,
    This subject came up a couple years ago. Did you check the string seating on the bridge?
    Roger



    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Posted 04-29-2019 15:42
    Obviously the strings are not aligned to the hammers. 
    You will need to file the capo bar to fit them properly.

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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-29-2019 15:51
    And angle the agraffs. Lol

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    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-29-2019 15:54
    Use a Straight-Mate. It angles the strings so they fit nicely. If it doesn't work, you didn't press hard enough. It helps when you need to replace the agraffes too. They pop right off! Great tool..
    Paul McCloud


    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-29-2019 17:07
    Terry, clearly the person who filed the hammers didn't finish the job by adjusting the keyframe glides to level the hammers to the strings. Shoddy.

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    Steven Rosenthal
    Honolulu HI
    808-521-7129
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-30-2019 02:01
    Or just pluck the strings, the "chipping" method of tuning.

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    Susan Kline
    Philomath, Oregon
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Posted 04-30-2019 08:38
    These pluck jobs take eons to tune, in addition to the other gremlins that almost always appear during the tuning. Its a "what's the point of this" kind of job for me...the shear disgust motivates me to turn off the tunings for a couple of months, and work exclusively in the shop creating actual musical instruments.

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    Jim Ialeggio
    grandpianosolutions.com
    Shirley, MA
    978 425-9026
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Posted 04-30-2019 08:44
    But when the hammers are angled like this, you only need to tune one string.
    The others are just there for a pretty shimmering sound effect!       ;-)

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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-30-2019 17:18
    Ed,

    Now THAT'S thinking! 

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Trouble Tuning Unisons

    Member
    Posted 05-02-2019 09:42
    Ha Ha ... I may have seen that piano before. Someone in this area rebuilt a grand and they totally screwed up the stringing from the tenor all the way up. strings on the wrong hitch pin . totally botched "rebuild" did not even do any action work but the case finishing was A1

    BTW what model and serial is the piano and are the hitch pins A accujust where loops need to be at a certain height..... maybe all the hammer flange screws are loose ?

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    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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    Original Message