Pianotech

  • 1.  Steinway pedal lyre

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-14-2025 07:44
      |   view attached

    A clients steinway D had a pedal squeak that I determined was due to stripped lyre screws.  While I was fixing the stripped screws I noticed that when the screws were tightened back up it created a small gap at the back of the pedal lyre where it should be flush with the underside of the keybed.  This gap is allowing for too much movement of the lyre.  My temporary solution was to put a wedge at the front of the lyre thus pushing up on the back and reducing the gap but I'm wondering if anyone has dealt with this before and has a more elegant repair? 



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    Dylan Weiss RPT
    Greenville NC
    (434) 589-1167
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  • 2.  RE: Steinway pedal lyre

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-14-2025 08:24
    The solution is to find the reason there is a gap. The top of the lyre, and the bottom of the keybed where the lyre is attached have to be totally flat.  

     





  • 3.  RE: Steinway pedal lyre

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-14-2025 08:37

    Dylan,

    Assuming that this has the typical mating plate arrangement of Steinway, is the lyre "sloppy" to any degree when screws or braces are not installed?  If so, look very closely at the female side to see if it is cracked (sometimes a portion of the male side is broken off but typically I see damage to the other). Nonetheless, if all is whole, if they do not fit essentially perfectly, space develops between them (also as the wood gradually seasons loose parts can develop). The solution involves either adjusting the internal fit, or a slight deepening of the recess retaining either side. When you mate them together and give it a tap backwards they should snug up tight all the way around. This is not a fun job but is necessary. 

    Peter Grey Piano Doctor 



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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    (603) 686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 4.  RE: Steinway pedal lyre

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-14-2025 11:32

    The lyre is snug without either the screws or the braces in place it is only when installing the 2 screws that the gap appears and the whole thing becomes destabilized.  



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    Dylan Weiss RPT
    Greenville NC
    (434) 589-1167
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  • 5.  RE: Steinway pedal lyre

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-14-2025 11:44

    So don't snug up the screws.



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    Larry Messerly, RPT
    Bringing Harmony to Homes
    www.lacrossepianotuning.com
    ljmesserly@gmail.com
    928-899-7292
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  • 6.  RE: Steinway pedal lyre

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-14-2025 11:55
    That would indicate that the plug you put in to accept the screw is loose, and when you tighten the screw, it is actually pulling the plug out of the hole. Take the plug out, (by inserting the screw without the lyre, and pulling it out), and glue the plug back in, leaving it set for a while for the glue to harden. Also, you might consider drilling a little larger hole in the plug so that it will accept the screw easier. 





  • 7.  RE: Steinway pedal lyre

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-14-2025 12:01

    OR:

    The holes in the lyre are misaligned with the holes in the piano, and when inserting the screws they are pulling the lyre in such a waybas to dislodge it slightly in mating plates. I would check this. 

    Edit: Please describe precisely how you dealt with the stripped screws holes.

    Edit #2: Is the top of the lyre slightly convex?

    Peter Grey Piano Doctor 



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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    (603) 686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 8.  RE: Steinway pedal lyre

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 07-14-2025 12:11
    I would suspect the lyre braces. There are several possibilities.

    1. The two are not interchangeable. If they get mixed up, one may be longer and therefore prevent the lyre from being able to mate at the top.
    2. Material may have fallen into one of the lyre brace holes in the lyre so that the brace can't fully move to the bottom of the hole.
    3. Some brace lengths are adjustable in some pianos. Some pianos have an adjustment screw in the bottom of the lyre hole
    4. Perhaps someone lost the old braces during moving and the braces were replaced but not properly set for length. 
    A mover may not care whether the lyre mates at the top.

    Richard West