Old upright piano desk
Here is an old Wegner/Waltham upright pneumatic-player piano that had multiple cracks in the soundboard, partial frame separation, missing strings, cracked bass bridge, and a not-so friendly family of mice. The piano was past it's prime and would have cost thousands of dollars to restore. Too much money for the investment. To make it more practical, I converted it to an useful computer desk.
Got a bad bass bridge?
This is what a bad bass bridge looks like: This one is actually fairly bad, as you can see the bridge pins have completely cracked the maple wood bridgecap in half. Those bridge pins need to be extremely solid in the wood for as much energy (vibration) to travel from the strings to the soundboard. If those pins move or are loose, energy is lost and the sound doesn't travel which produces a dead, 'thuddy', and ugly sound.
This mostly happens in the bass bridge with the copper-wound strings, but can happen also in the upper bridges as well. Hairline fractures are bad, too. If they are not stopped, those hairline fractures can turn into this:
This mostly happens in the bass bridge with the copper-wound strings, but can happen also in the upper bridges as well. Hairline fractures are bad, too. If they are not stopped, those hairline fractures can turn into this:
Young Chang action brackets
During the late 80's and early 90's, Young Chang grand pianos (including all pianos made with different names, i.e. Weber, Wurlitzer, PianoDisc) had "growing" action brackets. The composite cast aluminum brackets will expand over time, which will COMPLETELY deregulate the piano making it impossible to play. Hammers will block up against the strings because the action ratio is off. There is no after-touch, let-off is too high, and key dip is too shallow. The millimeter difference this problem creates in the action effects touch and feel tremendously.
The best ways to determine if you have this problem are:
1. With a very light touch, do the hammers block up against the strings? They shouldn't. They should fall back down about 1/2 inch.
2. Lift the keycover off and physically look at the action brackets. Are they gray, or have any cracked and chipped paint?
3. (Technicians only) Whats the action spread? Certain pianos should have a measurment of 112.5mm or 113.5mm. If those numbers can NOT be achieved, action brackets may need to be replaced.
Below are a few pictures I've taken of a recent Young Chang I fixed. Noticed 3 of the brackets are fine... but one of the middle brackets has expanded horribly. This is not normal.
Young Chang will replace the action brackets FOR FREE under warranty regardless of the year. But, they do NOT cover any labor to re-regulate the piano. This should normally be 3-4 hours of work.
The best ways to determine if you have this problem are:
1. With a very light touch, do the hammers block up against the strings? They shouldn't. They should fall back down about 1/2 inch.
2. Lift the keycover off and physically look at the action brackets. Are they gray, or have any cracked and chipped paint?
3. (Technicians only) Whats the action spread? Certain pianos should have a measurment of 112.5mm or 113.5mm. If those numbers can NOT be achieved, action brackets may need to be replaced.
Below are a few pictures I've taken of a recent Young Chang I fixed. Noticed 3 of the brackets are fine... but one of the middle brackets has expanded horribly. This is not normal.
Young Chang will replace the action brackets FOR FREE under warranty regardless of the year. But, they do NOT cover any labor to re-regulate the piano. This should normally be 3-4 hours of work.
Water damage
Water damage from a leaky pipe above the piano. The vaneer has started to peel off, which is unrepairable. New vaneer will need to be glued on, sanded, stained, and finished. All in all, this little water damage will cost upwards of $4000, not including the damage inside the piano.
I've seen this kind of damage from plants being set on the piano. So... moral of the story... keep water away from the piano.
I've seen this kind of damage from plants being set on the piano. So... moral of the story... keep water away from the piano.
Installation of Grand Hammers
When the piano is designed, the plate and strings are engineered in a way that there is a specific "point" along the string that the hammer is supposed to strike to give it the most transfer of energy (best sound). This is known as the "strike point." When installing new hammers, it's very important to align the tips of the hammers to hit this strike point. I use a red level laser to help guide the installation process in seeing this alignment, and making sure it's along the same line as the original hammers. (of course, it's also good to double check the strings measurements for that point.)
A bad pinblock
A lot of people have asked me what a "bad" pinblock is. For starters, the Pinblock is the block of wood that the tuning pins are in (usually underneath the plate). The tuning pins are threaded into the pinblock and hold the strings with friction. This pinblock (pictured) had 'something' spilled into the tuning pins, which makes the friction give way. You'll also notice the top layer laminate has a crack (upon further inspection, other layers of the pinblock laminates also have severe cracks.)
Most pianos have a 'closed-faced' pinblock (which means you can't see it. It's hidden under the plate). Problems with the pinblock have signs like; loose tuning pins, unstable tunings, really flat or sour notes, and previous signs of repair.
It's hard to diagnose a bad pinblock. That's why its good to call me and we'll figure it out together. Replacing a pinblock involves removing all the stings, removing the plate, and fitting and drilling a new pinblock with new pins and strings. Most pinblocks today are made of a multi-laminated Rock-hard Maple. With proper care, most pinblocks can last a life time.
So... NO drinks or liquid near the piano. Make sure to maintain an average relative humidity around the piano, and have the piano tuned AT LEAST once a year.
Most pianos have a 'closed-faced' pinblock (which means you can't see it. It's hidden under the plate). Problems with the pinblock have signs like; loose tuning pins, unstable tunings, really flat or sour notes, and previous signs of repair.
It's hard to diagnose a bad pinblock. That's why its good to call me and we'll figure it out together. Replacing a pinblock involves removing all the stings, removing the plate, and fitting and drilling a new pinblock with new pins and strings. Most pinblocks today are made of a multi-laminated Rock-hard Maple. With proper care, most pinblocks can last a life time.
So... NO drinks or liquid near the piano. Make sure to maintain an average relative humidity around the piano, and have the piano tuned AT LEAST once a year.
PTG National Convention 2007
Plexiglass Schimmel K 213 Glas Grand Piano.
Seen at the Piano Technicians Guild National Conference, Kansas City 2007
Ravenscroft
Ravenscroft 220 Grand Piano. This piano had one of the best sounds and touches of all the pianos displayed at this convention. |
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Fazoli
Fazoli Showcase Piano, "M. Liminal"
Designed by NYT Line
Cristofori
Replica 1722 Cristofori piano. |
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