Pianotech

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?

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Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
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Thanks for all the replies. The bushings are definitely the soft American type. Fortunately this G2 built in 1965 has a block that's fitted to the plate flange and glued to the cornice as well. Looks like brute force will be the order of the day.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL

Original Message:
Sent: 10-18-2025 11:53
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: drill or no drill?

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Thanks for all the replies. The bushings are definitely the soft American type. Fortunately this G2 built in 1965 has a block that's fitted to the plate flange and glued to the cornice as well. Looks like brute force will be the order of the day.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL

Original Message:
Sent: 10-18-2025 11:53
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: drill or no drill?

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

If they are soft bushings, and if the block were not fitted to the flange, then it would probably be best not to drill them because the pin bearing on the plate is what keeps the tuning stable so a compressed bushing in that case would be better.  In this case, since the block is fitted, then it probably doesn't matter for that reason.  The soft bushings won't split (in my experience) and until this thread I didn't know that the Yamaha/Kawai factory bushings were a harder material but that would make sense given the requirements for stability.  It also might be that Yamaha/Kawai drill the block (and bushings) in the piano which obviates the need to a stop on the drill if you are drilling the bushings after the fact.  

Thanks for all the replies. The bushings are definitely the soft American type. Fortunately this G2 built in 1965 has a block that's fitted to the plate flange and glued to the cornice as well. Looks like brute force will be the order of the day.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL

Original Message:
Sent: 10-18-2025 11:53
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: drill or no drill?

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Learned colleagues I crave your guidance.

I very rarely re-string pianos that have tuning pin bushings in the plate. Having installed the new bushings I find the hole to be just under 7/32". Some of my friends and mentors have drilled out new bushings with a 1/4" bit prior to stringing and some have not. I'm restringing a mid 1960's Yamaha with the original block and have chased the holes with a .272" bit prior to installing 2/0 pins. I'm wondering if I should pre-drill the bushings or if I should just hammer through them to add to the pin tightness. What say you all?