Pianotech

Our piano instructor here at the university has commented that the sustain pedal travel on our Steinway B feels somewhat short.  I've ascertained that the pedal travel is .81 inches (13/16"), which is at the narrow end of the range I've measured in 9 pianos across our collection, but not by much.  The piano he routinely practices on, and likes, comes in at .97 inches (29/32").

Pedal height might be the real issue here.  The upper surface of the pedal on the B, measured at 1 inch in from the front edge, is at 3.44 inches (3 7/16) above the floor, which is the highest I've found in the pianos sampled.  The range has been 1 13/16" inches to 3 7/16 inches.  All of our grands in the department are more than 30 years old, so I don't expect any of the original factory set-ups to have survived.

What to you consider to be the outer limits of normal pedal height and of normal pedal travel?  I do recognize that lever ratio can also play a role here, and I'm prepared to measure that, but the present questions seem to be a good place to start.

I should say that our instructor is very attentive to the feedback of his students, so I am considering his comment to be arising from more than his own experience and preference.

Our piano instructor here at the university has commented that the sustain pedal travel on our Steinway B feels somewhat short.  I've ascertained that the pedal travel is .81 inches (13/16"), which is at the narrow end of the range I've measured in 9 pianos across our collection, but not by much.  The piano he routinely practices on, and likes, comes in at .97 inches (29/32").

Pedal height might be the real issue here.  The upper surface of the pedal on the B, measured at 1 inch in from the front edge, is at 3.44 inches (3 7/16) above the floor, which is the highest I've found in the pianos sampled.  The range has been 1 13/16" inches to 3 7/16 inches.  All of our grands in the department are more than 30 years old, so I don't expect any of the original factory set-ups to have survived.

What to you consider to be the outer limits of normal pedal height and of normal pedal travel?  I do recognize that lever ratio can also play a role here, and I'm prepared to measure that, but the present questions seem to be a good place to start.

I should say that our instructor is very attentive to the feedback of his students, so I am considering his comment to be arising from more than his own experience and preference.