Pianotech

  • 1.  Tuning Bechstein uprights - agraffes aggravating

    Posted 10-02-2023 14:07

    In tuning an upright Bechstein Model III I came across these agraffes

    I wish I hadn't. With a new pinblock with tight pins you can't tell whether the force on your tuning lever is fighting against friction of pin in block or string through agraffe . . . and with pin wobble one has to be strict about tuning at the 12 o'clock position. A quality tuning has thus just taken me embarrassingly and tediously longer than it should.
    Best wishes
    David P


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    David Pinnegar BSc ARCS
    Hammerwood Park, East Grinstead, Sussex, UK
    +44 1342 850594
    "High Definition" Tuning
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  • 2.  RE: Tuning Bechstein uprights - agraffes aggravating

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-02-2023 15:13

    some lube at bearing points might help



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    Parker Leigh RPT
    Winchester VA
    (540) 722-3865
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  • 3.  RE: Tuning Bechstein uprights - agraffes aggravating

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-03-2023 06:06

    I second that with the lube. It's the very first thing I would do.

    Peter Grey Piano Doctor 



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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    (603) 686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Tuning Bechstein uprights - agraffes aggravating

    Posted 10-23-2023 16:55
    Thanks to all for comments

    Unfortunately Gmail has decided to put Pianotech messages into Spam
    and I've only just seen them

    Eventually I did a video about these agraffes. Lube won't help. The
    pressure on the strings is such that the newly restrung strings shows
    mangling and flattening having had to be dragged through the agraffes
    on restringing - and the tech who sold the piano told the customer
    that it was bad to put the instrument through tunings too often -
    clearly knowing a thing or two about metal fatigue caused by the
    dragging through the agraffes.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9X2lAcrA0Q

    It wasn't actually a couple of days - I arrived in the evening and got
    aggravated in the course of a pitch raise and then the next day was
    tuning to one unequal temperament and then retuning to a stronger
    sounding curry with more chillis in the mix.

    The art of tuning these instruments is to be vigilant with the tuning
    lever at 12 o'clock and to tap it one way or the other, probably in
    the nature of an impact lever.

    Best wishes

    David P

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    David Pinnegar, B.Sc., A.R.C.S.
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    +44 1342 850594