Pianotech

 I have been working on a long neglected Young Chang with a Joe Pramberger design. The action brackets had grown and the spread was way out at the bass/low tenor. I used the new action brackets from Supply 88 which are excellent. Shaped the hammers to remove string cuts and flat strike points. I want to level the strings and get a good hammer to string mate however the piano itself is not level. It is on a truck and the left side needs to get shimmed to get level. What is the best way to do this and what type of material makes a durable shim ? I am thinking I could use my aluminum racing jack and a 4 x 4 pressure treated post to lift the front left side gently and slowly watching the bubble level sitting on the stretcher. I have the  brass string level I bought from Mother Goose tools as well as the Charles Falk string level tool. There definitely are some high and low strings but a voice in my head says that the piano should be level first. Any and all comments are welcome

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357
------------------------------

What is level at the stretcher may not be the same at the strings. It's my understanding the Faulk levelling tool removes the bubble-levelled-string-surface variable.

If the truck is what I am imagining, you can lift an arm of it with your racing jack. Shim under the wheel, and you're done.

------------------------------
Floyd Gadd RPT
Regina SK
(306) 502-9103
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-02-2023 22:05
From: Lyle Hiorns
Subject: Piano levelling--Young Chang PG-185

What is level at the stretcher may not be the same at the strings. It's my understanding the Faulk levelling tool removes the bubble-levelled-string-surface variable.

Lyle Hiorns is correct. 

------------------------------
Tim Coates RPT
Sioux Falls SD
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-02-2023 22:05
From: Lyle Hiorns
Subject: Piano levelling--Young Chang PG-185

What is level at the stretcher may not be the same at the strings. It's my understanding the Faulk levelling tool removes the bubble-levelled-string-surface variable.

I have the Mother Goose level which indicates a low left side. How much ? I will try my digital I-gauge level. I will use the Faulk tool once I find the ruler that goes with it . Thanks for responses

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-03-2023 00:12
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Piano levelling--Young Chang PG-185

How bad is it off kilter?  I mean, can you see it, or does the customer complain that it's not level with the floor?  I might not be worth all the effort to make it level if the customer doesn't know it. It certainly doesn't hurt the piano.  

As far as leveling the string, just put the Mother goose level on the stretcher of the plate, see how far off it is, and duplicate that on all the strings. It's no big deal. 

Wim

James - think some more.  What do we assume?  How many of these elements are always consistently level/paralell? keybed; hammer rail; stretcher; plate; string plane; agraffes; ?   

When I'm feeling obsessive, I cross reference two Goss gauges (one of which is modified to reduce weight), a Faulk, and Chris Brown's under-string gauge, which registers string orientation from the keybed.  Sometimes I can even get all of them to agree.  Each has its limitations.  Clearly, the Goss bubble loves a piano level with the earth, but, as Wim suggests, one can simply register any discrepancy and duplicate it throughout, though, in fact, that assumes a greater degree of consistency in the design execution than might be warranted, or necessary.

My problem with the concept of the Faulk is actually similar to the dilemma regarding squaring of naturals in a crowned keyboard: do we true the key surface to the flat edge and then crown the level, or 'square' the key to mate the key surface with the crowned profile?   Some years ago, Ben Gac told us, at a chapter meeting at Steinway, that the prefered method was the former, producing key surfaces parallel to the floor, but slightly stepping from one to the next.  

While the Faulk is not affected by any unlevelness of the piano itself, it does reflect anomolies in the string plane, either a curve or possible inconsistencies in agraffe heights or drilling.

If I'm in a situation where it's easy to have the action out, I prefer using the Grandworks gauge https://grandwork.tools/collections/all 

though I'll admit it's become rather pricey.   

In the end, you'll still have to fit your hammers to what's there.

------------------------------
David Skolnik [RPT]
Hastings-on-Hudson NY
(917) 589-2625
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-03-2023 08:23
From: James Kelly
Subject: Piano levelling--Young Chang PG-185

I have the Mother Goose level which indicates a low left side. How much ? I will try my digital I-gauge level. I will use the Faulk tool once I find the ruler that goes with it . Thanks for responses

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 06-03-2023 00:12
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Piano levelling--Young Chang PG-185

How bad is it off kilter?  I mean, can you see it, or does the customer complain that it's not level with the floor?  I might not be worth all the effort to make it level if the customer doesn't know it. It certainly doesn't hurt the piano.  

As far as leveling the string, just put the Mother goose level on the stretcher of the plate, see how far off it is, and duplicate that on all the strings. It's no big deal. 

Wim

I appreciate all of the responses and agree that there are many things we can get too crazy over. The bubble level is off when it is put on the stretcher and to get it level means shimming on the left side. doing that may throw off the string level the other way. I am getting a new metal ruler from Charles next week but before doing anything will get a baseline , and put better strike points on the hammers as they lie. I recently had to fix a new Yamaha grand that created dissonant sounding unisons. After eliminating the cupping in the hammer felt it sounded great. Proof of Davids last sentence

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-03-2023 09:30
From: David Skolnik
Subject: Piano levelling--Young Chang PG-185

James - think some more.  What do we assume?  How many of these elements are always consistently level/paralell? keybed; hammer rail; stretcher; plate; string plane; agraffes; ?   

When I'm feeling obsessive, I cross reference two Goss gauges (one of which is modified to reduce weight), a Faulk, and Chris Brown's under-string gauge, which registers string orientation from the keybed.  Sometimes I can even get all of them to agree.  Each has its limitations.  Clearly, the Goss bubble loves a piano level with the earth, but, as Wim suggests, one can simply register any discrepancy and duplicate it throughout, though, in fact, that assumes a greater degree of consistency in the design execution than might be warranted, or necessary.

My problem with the concept of the Faulk is actually similar to the dilemma regarding squaring of naturals in a crowned keyboard: do we true the key surface to the flat edge and then crown the level, or 'square' the key to mate the key surface with the crowned profile?   Some years ago, Ben Gac told us, at a chapter meeting at Steinway, that the prefered method was the former, producing key surfaces parallel to the floor, but slightly stepping from one to the next.  

While the Faulk is not affected by any unlevelness of the piano itself, it does reflect anomolies in the string plane, either a curve or possible inconsistencies in agraffe heights or drilling.

If I'm in a situation where it's easy to have the action out, I prefer using the Grandworks gauge https://grandwork.tools/collections/all 

though I'll admit it's become rather pricey.   

In the end, you'll still have to fit your hammers to what's there.

------------------------------
David Skolnik [RPT]
Hastings-on-Hudson NY
(917) 589-2625
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 06-03-2023 08:23
From: James Kelly
Subject: Piano levelling--Young Chang PG-185

I have the Mother Goose level which indicates a low left side. How much ? I will try my digital I-gauge level. I will use the Faulk tool once I find the ruler that goes with it . Thanks for responses

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357


Original Message:
Sent: 06-03-2023 00:12
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Piano levelling--Young Chang PG-185

How bad is it off kilter?  I mean, can you see it, or does the customer complain that it's not level with the floor?  I might not be worth all the effort to make it level if the customer doesn't know it. It certainly doesn't hurt the piano.  

As far as leveling the string, just put the Mother goose level on the stretcher of the plate, see how far off it is, and duplicate that on all the strings. It's no big deal. 

Wim