Pianotech

I service a 1980s Steinway D with stability problems. The piano is in a large church. It doesn't go out of tune in the familiar humidity change pattern, that is, the lowest plain wire notes are especially flat when things are dry and sharp when the humidity rolls in. It also doesn't go out of tune as if it has been played hard, that is, mid and upper treble are worse than the rest. When I go to tune I find bad unisons throughout the tenor and treble and even some in the bass section. At my university job I take care of 4 Ds and tune for a lot of recitals. My tunings tend to be pretty solid and make it through heavy hitting programs without trouble, but this piano is an exception.

Last year I installed a full Dampchaser system with 2 tanks and undercover. The church music director says it helped. I'm not convinced we've solved the problem.

Any ideas?

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John Pope
University of Kentucky School of Music
Lexington, KY
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A possibility, from a non-rebuilding tech (me): a S&S ca. 1982 B that I tuned over the years had similar difficulties in the capo regions. At least in part due to typical high school environments here in the Northeast (baked dry in the winter, high humidity in the summer), its soundboard demised (many cracks & rib separations). Fortunately the school came up with the $$ for a complete restoration by one of esteemed colleagues. The V-bar had been very poorly prepared/shaped -more like a very wide U-bar. When it was ground/filed/polished to its proper shape, and with other improvements done by the remanufacturer, it is now a great pleasure to play & tune.

So, take a good look at that V-bar.

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Patrick Draine RPT
Billerica MA
(978) 663-9690
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2026 15:05
From: John Pope
Subject: Tuning Instability on 80s Steinway D

I service a 1980s Steinway D with stability problems. The piano is in a large church. It doesn't go out of tune in the familiar humidity change pattern, that is, the lowest plain wire notes are especially flat when things are dry and sharp when the humidity rolls in. It also doesn't go out of tune as if it has been played hard, that is, mid and upper treble are worse than the rest. When I go to tune I find bad unisons throughout the tenor and treble and even some in the bass section. At my university job I take care of 4 Ds and tune for a lot of recitals. My tunings tend to be pretty solid and make it through heavy hitting programs without trouble, but this piano is an exception.

Last year I installed a full Dampchaser system with 2 tanks and undercover. The church music director says it helped. I'm not convinced we've solved the problem.

Any ideas?

------------------------------
John Pope
University of Kentucky School of Music
Lexington, KY
------------------------------

Check the down bearing in that area. My initial observations suggest that a little-to-no down bearing load allows the soundboard to rise and fall rapidly. This is only my preliminary observation, not a theory or fact.

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Roger Gable RPT
Gable Piano
Everett WA
(425) 252-5000
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-27-2026 15:05
From: John Pope
Subject: Tuning Instability on 80s Steinway D

I service a 1980s Steinway D with stability problems. The piano is in a large church. It doesn't go out of tune in the familiar humidity change pattern, that is, the lowest plain wire notes are especially flat when things are dry and sharp when the humidity rolls in. It also doesn't go out of tune as if it has been played hard, that is, mid and upper treble are worse than the rest. When I go to tune I find bad unisons throughout the tenor and treble and even some in the bass section. At my university job I take care of 4 Ds and tune for a lot of recitals. My tunings tend to be pretty solid and make it through heavy hitting programs without trouble, but this piano is an exception.

Last year I installed a full Dampchaser system with 2 tanks and undercover. The church music director says it helped. I'm not convinced we've solved the problem.

Any ideas?

------------------------------
John Pope
University of Kentucky School of Music
Lexington, KY
------------------------------