Pianotech

  • 1.  Retro fit slow close hinge on K. Kawai?

    Posted 01-13-2023 10:52
    Hi,

    I have a client interested in having a slow close mechanism/hinge on her K. Kawai key cover.  She uses the piano to teach lessons and has had the key cover fall several times with students at the keyboard, which is why she has asked about this.  I've tried calling Kawai several times but get no response.  Does anyone know if this is possible at all?

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    Amanda Casanova, Associate
    Ivory52
    New Richmond, WI
    651-253-3792
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  • 2.  RE: Retro fit slow close hinge on K. Kawai?

    Member
    Posted 01-13-2023 11:05
    Its possible to get a slow close fall board unit but a cheaper and faster solution is to use some felt mutes and wedge the fallboard open. I have a customer with a Baldwin grand which has a small hydraulic unit in the action cavity that slows down the lid

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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    (843) 325-4357
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  • 3.  RE: Retro fit slow close hinge on K. Kawai?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-13-2023 11:33

    Try one of these...

     https://www.amazon.com/s?k=piano+fallboard+slow+closing&ref=nb_sb_noss

     Pick one. They're all pretty much the same. I've installed them a couple of times. Easy and effective.



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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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  • 4.  RE: Retro fit slow close hinge on K. Kawai?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-13-2023 13:54

    Amanda,

     

    As others have posted, there are aftermarket answers for this.

     

    Retrofitting the current Kawai style slo-fall dampers is not a practical option – the machining needed to correctly mill the fallboard ends and then cut the case arm insides is beyond what is practical.

     

    You might check to see if there is a steel weight square rod in the back / underside  of the fallboard.  Some models were made without weights, and adding that can help the fallboard stay open better.  Kawai can sell one of those to you, if you just call and contact the parts desk.  But if the fallboard already has this, some other means will be needed.  Adding mutes to the ends is a simple answer – or of course, trading in the piano for one that has the slo-fall system.

     

    Don Mannino (no longer working for Kawai)

     

     






  • 5.  RE: Retro fit slow close hinge on K. Kawai?

    Posted 01-13-2023 15:37
    Great! Thank you all for your recommendations! 

    I'll go inspect the piano more closely and see if I can find any current weight rod or if I can just get creative with the current set up.  

    Also, Don thanks for sharing about the weight rod.  I never knew that was a feature or that one could be purchased, very useful info!



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    Amanda Casanova, Associate
    Ivory52
    New Richmond, WI
    651-253-3792
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  • 6.  RE: Retro fit slow close hinge on K. Kawai?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-14-2023 17:02
    Many modern Asian verticals come with an hydraulic slow-close mechanism built in.   It's easy to damage these by hastening the closing of the fallboard by pushing down on it as it closes,  thus ensuring they will fail long before their time.  Some people are just so impatient.   Let it fall by itself.

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    Cecil Snyder RPT
    Torrance CA
    (310) 542-7108
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  • 7.  RE: Retro fit slow close hinge on K. Kawai?

    Posted 01-17-2023 23:41
    OK, since you asked...
    Disclaimer: I am not  a fan of the slow-close mechanism. At all. They are, in my view, mostly a gimmick for closing the sale on the dealer's floor. After 10 years or so most of them fail, and there are no replacements. Zero. We had a few hundred years of students learning on pianos without this cool feature, and everyone survived.
    And for the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would want to attach a giant mousetrap onto the cheek block of their instrument with double sided sticky-tape.
    Alright, end of rant.
    But I do have a constructive solution that is perfect for teacher with small children.
    A bean bag beaver. (Or bear of frog or monkey)
    It looks cute for kids, it is removable without a trace, and it does the job 100%.

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    Jurgen Goering
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  • 8.  RE: Retro fit slow close hinge on K. Kawai?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-18-2023 20:49

    >  We had a few hundred years of students learning on pianos without this cool feature, and everyone survived.

    I think survived is a good word here. Survived, but perhaps not without injuries. I speak from personal experience. A number of years ago I was in the middle of tuning a customers Steinway and he came in to ask me a question. He accidently touched the fallboard which instantly fell on my left thumb. Hurt so bad it was all I could do to finish the tuning. Also caused me to lose that thumbnail. When I went to see the doctor about potential long term damage he reported that I was lucky that the fall had not crushed the bone. Apparently hand bones are very fragile. The nail eventually grew back so I'm now good as ever, but ever since I routinely remove the fallboard when possible, and when not I use a felt mute and wedge it in so the fallboard will not accidently come down. Owners and players are not going to be that conscious of the potential problem so the slow close mechanisms are there for a very good reason in my opinion. Especially in homes with kids.



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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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