Piano Tuning And Repair Service | Vanguard Piano Service

 

If you are interested in the kinds of things we look at in the course of a full-day service, here are some of things that we look at in the course of a full-day service:

Piano Keys: 

Most piano keys have two main friction points, in the middle on the center pin, and on the end, where there is a metal capstan that slides along a felt piece attached to the bottom of the piano action. The goal is to minimize friction at both points. The center pin should have minimal play side to side but not be too tight, and the metal capstans are polished, with powder lubricant applied to the felt it touches as well. Additionally, keys can become misaligned, sit crooked,  too high or too low. These will be adjusted in the course of the appointment.

Piano Hammers: 

The screws may need to be tightened and the hammers spaced to be centered precisely on the strings. Occasionally one might need to adjust the angle of the hammers if they acquire a diagonal slant in their upward motion. In older pianos, it is very common for the hammers to sit too far away from the strings when at rest. This comes from compression in soft parts throughout the mechanism, and leads to difficulty playing quietly, as on soft key presses the hammers will not come up far enough to make any sound.

Springs: 

Each note usually possesses one or two springs in the dampers (in uprights), and in the repetition mechanism (grands) these springs should all respond with equal strength, and any outliers should be adjusted.

Dampers: 

Dampers should begin to engage when the hammer has travelled about halfway to the string. If the dampers engage too soon, the keys will feel heavy. If the dampers engage too late, they will interfere with the “second keyboard,” the feeling of release that accompanies the hammer stopping just short of the strings. There should be a total cessation of sound once the damper touches the string: no squeaks or “zinging” sounds.

Voicing:

 If one note plays more quietly than its neighbors or has a much different tone quality, it may be investigated if the hammer is hitting all of its strings evenly, and angles adjusted. The felt of the offending hammer may be conditioned or shaped as well to improve tone.

Piano Action: 

The rest of the piano mechanism will also likely need adjustments, and it is here that the timing of hammer release from the strings, and how far the hammer falls back, is controlled. If these are not even, then it will become difficult to play quickly, as each note will require a different amount of force in order to make sound. In the extremes, if the jack (the part of a piano action that pushes up the hammer) is too far forwards, than the note will occasionally fail to play as the jack will slip out before the hammer is fully in motion .  If it is too far back, than it will not slip out, and the hammer will either bobble multiple times against the strings, or get stuck against them. Both jack and whippen (the hinge point where the key meets the action) need to be checked at their hinge points  for a consistent amount of friction. 

This kind of work really benefits pianos that were well-built, but have fallen in performance. Book an appointment today, contact Vanguard Piano Service!!!