Pianotech

Hello all,

I am servicing a 1986 Steinway D whose front rail knocks prominently at the bass and a bit st the treble even when the glide bolts are all the way up. The gap in the front rail in the bass is prominent enough that I don't love the idea of sanding off a huge amount of material. Do folks ever sand the bottom of the cheekblocks or shim the keyframe locator holes down so that the cheekblocks push down the keyframe. Or should I just bite the bullet and sand down the front of the keyframe?

Thanks,

Hello all,

I am servicing a 1986 Steinway D whose front rail knocks prominently at the bass and a bit st the treble even when the glide bolts are all the way up. The gap in the front rail in the bass is prominent enough that I don't love the idea of sanding off a huge amount of material. Do folks ever sand the bottom of the cheekblocks or shim the keyframe locator holes down so that the cheekblocks push down the keyframe. Or should I just bite the bullet and sand down the front of the keyframe?

Thanks,

Thanks, Wim. I've tried all those things. I ended up talking to Steinway directly about it and they suggested ordering new cheekblock plates, as the problem is likely that the original plates have worn down. I was quite impressed by how responsive Steinway's service team was! Now we'll see how expensive and/or difficult getting the parts will be.

Hello all,

I am servicing a 1986 Steinway D whose front rail knocks prominently at the bass and a bit st the treble even when the glide bolts are all the way up. The gap in the front rail in the bass is prominent enough that I don't love the idea of sanding off a huge amount of material. Do folks ever sand the bottom of the cheekblocks or shim the keyframe locator holes down so that the cheekblocks push down the keyframe. Or should I just bite the bullet and sand down the front of the keyframe?

Thanks,

At a seminar I attended, a Steinway representative suggested removing that bronze plate from the keyblock (AKA cheekblock) and peening just above the cutout area that contacts the keyframe endpin, to migrate the contact surface downwards. It may be the kind of design born of wariness of the notion that "if they can adjust it, they will adjust it" (even if it don't need messing with), and therefore not the most convenient way of making this important adjustment. Nevertheless, it certainly can work.

Alan

Thanks, Wim. I've tried all those things. I ended up talking to Steinway directly about it and they suggested ordering new cheekblock plates, as the problem is likely that the original plates have worn down. I was quite impressed by how responsive Steinway's service team was! Now we'll see how expensive and/or difficult getting the parts will be.

Hello all,

I am servicing a 1986 Steinway D whose front rail knocks prominently at the bass and a bit st the treble even when the glide bolts are all the way up. The gap in the front rail in the bass is prominent enough that I don't love the idea of sanding off a huge amount of material. Do folks ever sand the bottom of the cheekblocks or shim the keyframe locator holes down so that the cheekblocks push down the keyframe. Or should I just bite the bullet and sand down the front of the keyframe?

Thanks,

Thanks, Wim. I've tried all those things. I ended up talking to Steinway directly about it and they suggested ordering new cheekblock plates, as the problem is likely that the original plates have worn down. I was quite impressed by how responsive Steinway's service team was! Now we'll see how expensive and/or difficult getting the parts will be.

Hello all,

I am servicing a 1986 Steinway D whose front rail knocks prominently at the bass and a bit st the treble even when the glide bolts are all the way up. The gap in the front rail in the bass is prominent enough that I don't love the idea of sanding off a huge amount of material. Do folks ever sand the bottom of the cheekblocks or shim the keyframe locator holes down so that the cheekblocks push down the keyframe. Or should I just bite the bullet and sand down the front of the keyframe?

Thanks,

The Steinway keyframe and keybed are slightly curved against one another, touching in the middle and leaving gaps at each end, so that the norm is to pull the front rail down at each end to eliminate any knocking anywhere. It is rare to find knocking other than at the ends in Steinway grands. New instruments have the Hamburg plate design, which is adjustable.

The (old) Steinway method of adjustment has to do with peeling layers of the card stock that is glued to the front of the bottom of the blocks in the factory. Once you have removed all vestiges of that card stock, the plates can be removed and peened, as Alan wrote: put it on a solid surface (and anvil is best) and place an awl at various points along the surface by the bearing surface. Hammer little dents into the brass. It will generally be enough to take up the slack.

Another possibility is that it is the guide pins in the key frame that have either worn or become loose due to crushing of the wood that holds them. The pin can often be turned 90 degrees or so to present a new surface to the plate. If the wood can become loose, that would present a somewhat challenging repair depending on the exact nature of the problem.

The problem is often seasonal, and swelling of wood makes the interface tight and crushes wood, while shrinking exposes the gap that has been created by the crushing. It can be wise in a concert hall situation (where you see the instrument often) to check the tightness of the block screws periodically. They will tend to become very tight under humid conditions, hard to turn and impeding free shift movement. A sight loosening of the screws will help avoid crushing of wood.

------------------------------
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm@unm.edu
http://fredsturm.net
http://www.artoftuning.com
"We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Casteneda

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2025 18:55
From: Peter Stevenson
Subject: Steinway D Knocking Front Rail

Thanks, Wim. I've tried all those things. I ended up talking to Steinway directly about it and they suggested ordering new cheekblock plates, as the problem is likely that the original plates have worn down. I was quite impressed by how responsive Steinway's service team was! Now we'll see how expensive and/or difficult getting the parts will be.

------------------------------
Peter Stevenson RPT
P.S. Piano Service
Prince George BC
(250) 562-5358
ps@pspianos.com

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2025 16:24
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Steinway D Knocking Front Rail

Original Message:
Sent: 2/10/2025 1:43:00 PM
From: Peter Stevenson
Subject: Steinway D Knocking Front Rail

Hello all,

I am servicing a 1986 Steinway D whose front rail knocks prominently at the bass and a bit st the treble even when the glide bolts are all the way up. The gap in the front rail in the bass is prominent enough that I don't love the idea of sanding off a huge amount of material. Do folks ever sand the bottom of the cheekblocks or shim the keyframe locator holes down so that the cheekblocks push down the keyframe. Or should I just bite the bullet and sand down the front of the keyframe?

Thanks,

------------------------------
Peter Stevenson RPT
P.S. Piano Service
Prince George BC
(250) 562-5358
ps@pspianos.com
------------------------------

Hello all,

I am servicing a 1986 Steinway D whose front rail knocks prominently at the bass and a bit st the treble even when the glide bolts are all the way up. The gap in the front rail in the bass is prominent enough that I don't love the idea of sanding off a huge amount of material. Do folks ever sand the bottom of the cheekblocks or shim the keyframe locator holes down so that the cheekblocks push down the keyframe. Or should I just bite the bullet and sand down the front of the keyframe?

Thanks,

Hello all,

I am servicing a 1986 Steinway D whose front rail knocks prominently at the bass and a bit st the treble even when the glide bolts are all the way up. The gap in the front rail in the bass is prominent enough that I don't love the idea of sanding off a huge amount of material. Do folks ever sand the bottom of the cheekblocks or shim the keyframe locator holes down so that the cheekblocks push down the keyframe. Or should I just bite the bullet and sand down the front of the keyframe?

Thanks,