Pianotech

Hey everyone,
I went to tune a "rebuilt" ( in the 70s, at least restrung) 1924 Marshall & Wendell grand yesterday and found half the hammers to be blocking.

I tried to get it working but to no avail. Here's what I found: drop screws all very high, letoff screws all bottomed out. Keys maybe slightly low (just under 2.5 inches), dip at 3/8. I raised some sample hammers, but still no dice. Checked and reset the glides, lowered all drop screws. My only thought at this point is thicker letoff buttons. The letoff rail is firmly screwed to the brackets with machine screws, so I don't think rail position has changed.

The owner has no money, yet wants it functioning to sell TODAY! (Sometimes you step in the bear trap, and sometimes the bear trap sneaks up on you…). Another technician found the same issues back in 2006 but of course the owner didn't want to pay for work.

So here's my question: I think that at some point in the past, someone worked on the piano and did something to it, didn't know what messed things up, and gave up. Based on the evidence-especially bottomed out letoff-what are some possibilities for the elemental mistake? Mis-bored  hammers? Random wippens thrown in? The jacks, once adjusted, are about in line with knuckle cores. Springs not great, but ok.

thanks!

Hey everyone,
I went to tune a "rebuilt" ( in the 70s, at least restrung) 1924 Marshall & Wendell grand yesterday and found half the hammers to be blocking.

I tried to get it working but to no avail. Here's what I found: drop screws all very high, letoff screws all bottomed out. Keys maybe slightly low (just under 2.5 inches), dip at 3/8. I raised some sample hammers, but still no dice. Checked and reset the glides, lowered all drop screws. My only thought at this point is thicker letoff buttons. The letoff rail is firmly screwed to the brackets with machine screws, so I don't think rail position has changed.

The owner has no money, yet wants it functioning to sell TODAY! (Sometimes you step in the bear trap, and sometimes the bear trap sneaks up on you…). Another technician found the same issues back in 2006 but of course the owner didn't want to pay for work.

So here's my question: I think that at some point in the past, someone worked on the piano and did something to it, didn't know what messed things up, and gave up. Based on the evidence-especially bottomed out letoff-what are some possibilities for the elemental mistake? Mis-bored  hammers? Random wippens thrown in? The jacks, once adjusted, are about in line with knuckle cores. Springs not great, but ok.

thanks!

Hey everyone,
I went to tune a "rebuilt" ( in the 70s, at least restrung) 1924 Marshall & Wendell grand yesterday and found half the hammers to be blocking.

I tried to get it working but to no avail. Here's what I found: drop screws all very high, letoff screws all bottomed out. Keys maybe slightly low (just under 2.5 inches), dip at 3/8. I raised some sample hammers, but still no dice. Checked and reset the glides, lowered all drop screws. My only thought at this point is thicker letoff buttons. The letoff rail is firmly screwed to the brackets with machine screws, so I don't think rail position has changed.

The owner has no money, yet wants it functioning to sell TODAY! (Sometimes you step in the bear trap, and sometimes the bear trap sneaks up on you…). Another technician found the same issues back in 2006 but of course the owner didn't want to pay for work.

So here's my question: I think that at some point in the past, someone worked on the piano and did something to it, didn't know what messed things up, and gave up. Based on the evidence-especially bottomed out letoff-what are some possibilities for the elemental mistake? Mis-bored  hammers? Random wippens thrown in? The jacks, once adjusted, are about in line with knuckle cores. Springs not great, but ok.

thanks!

Hey everyone,
I went to tune a "rebuilt" ( in the 70s, at least restrung) 1924 Marshall & Wendell grand yesterday and found half the hammers to be blocking.

I tried to get it working but to no avail. Here's what I found: drop screws all very high, letoff screws all bottomed out. Keys maybe slightly low (just under 2.5 inches), dip at 3/8. I raised some sample hammers, but still no dice. Checked and reset the glides, lowered all drop screws. My only thought at this point is thicker letoff buttons. The letoff rail is firmly screwed to the brackets with machine screws, so I don't think rail position has changed.

The owner has no money, yet wants it functioning to sell TODAY! (Sometimes you step in the bear trap, and sometimes the bear trap sneaks up on you…). Another technician found the same issues back in 2006 but of course the owner didn't want to pay for work.

So here's my question: I think that at some point in the past, someone worked on the piano and did something to it, didn't know what messed things up, and gave up. Based on the evidence-especially bottomed out letoff-what are some possibilities for the elemental mistake? Mis-bored  hammers? Random wippens thrown in? The jacks, once adjusted, are about in line with knuckle cores. Springs not great, but ok.

thanks!

Hey everyone,
I went to tune a "rebuilt" ( in the 70s, at least restrung) 1924 Marshall & Wendell grand yesterday and found half the hammers to be blocking.

I tried to get it working but to no avail. Here's what I found: drop screws all very high, letoff screws all bottomed out. Keys maybe slightly low (just under 2.5 inches), dip at 3/8. I raised some sample hammers, but still no dice. Checked and reset the glides, lowered all drop screws. My only thought at this point is thicker letoff buttons. The letoff rail is firmly screwed to the brackets with machine screws, so I don't think rail position has changed.

The owner has no money, yet wants it functioning to sell TODAY! (Sometimes you step in the bear trap, and sometimes the bear trap sneaks up on you…). Another technician found the same issues back in 2006 but of course the owner didn't want to pay for work.

So here's my question: I think that at some point in the past, someone worked on the piano and did something to it, didn't know what messed things up, and gave up. Based on the evidence-especially bottomed out letoff-what are some possibilities for the elemental mistake? Mis-bored  hammers? Random wippens thrown in? The jacks, once adjusted, are about in line with knuckle cores. Springs not great, but ok.

thanks!

Hey everyone,
I went to tune a "rebuilt" ( in the 70s, at least restrung) 1924 Marshall & Wendell grand yesterday and found half the hammers to be blocking.

I tried to get it working but to no avail. Here's what I found: drop screws all very high, letoff screws all bottomed out. Keys maybe slightly low (just under 2.5 inches), dip at 3/8. I raised some sample hammers, but still no dice. Checked and reset the glides, lowered all drop screws. My only thought at this point is thicker letoff buttons. The letoff rail is firmly screwed to the brackets with machine screws, so I don't think rail position has changed.

The owner has no money, yet wants it functioning to sell TODAY! (Sometimes you step in the bear trap, and sometimes the bear trap sneaks up on you…). Another technician found the same issues back in 2006 but of course the owner didn't want to pay for work.

So here's my question: I think that at some point in the past, someone worked on the piano and did something to it, didn't know what messed things up, and gave up. Based on the evidence-especially bottomed out letoff-what are some possibilities for the elemental mistake? Mis-bored  hammers? Random wippens thrown in? The jacks, once adjusted, are about in line with knuckle cores. Springs not great, but ok.

thanks!

Hey everyone,
I went to tune a "rebuilt" ( in the 70s, at least restrung) 1924 Marshall & Wendell grand yesterday and found half the hammers to be blocking.

I tried to get it working but to no avail. Here's what I found: drop screws all very high, letoff screws all bottomed out. Keys maybe slightly low (just under 2.5 inches), dip at 3/8. I raised some sample hammers, but still no dice. Checked and reset the glides, lowered all drop screws. My only thought at this point is thicker letoff buttons. The letoff rail is firmly screwed to the brackets with machine screws, so I don't think rail position has changed.

The owner has no money, yet wants it functioning to sell TODAY! (Sometimes you step in the bear trap, and sometimes the bear trap sneaks up on you…). Another technician found the same issues back in 2006 but of course the owner didn't want to pay for work.

So here's my question: I think that at some point in the past, someone worked on the piano and did something to it, didn't know what messed things up, and gave up. Based on the evidence-especially bottomed out letoff-what are some possibilities for the elemental mistake? Mis-bored  hammers? Random wippens thrown in? The jacks, once adjusted, are about in line with knuckle cores. Springs not great, but ok.

thanks!