I noticed that my tip felt sloppy today during a tuning, so I replaced it with a new Watanbe on my Fujan lever. The tip is less than a year old, but clearly needed replaced some time ago as the new one felt so much better. A wild guess tells me this tip has 250-300 tunings on it. I'm thinking that maybe I should replace it after 100-150 tunings.

Thoughts?

Was your other tip a Watanabe? I have found that the Watanabe tips have a consistently better feel than other company's tips that I have tried.

I have thousands of tunings on my tips and they still feel good. I carry a #1, #2, #3 tips and change them as needed to get the best fit. #1 tips seem to feel good on many old uprights and some Yamaha's and Steinways. The #2 tip works great on most everything else, and the #3 is good for pianos that have been restrung with oversize pins.

Having a snug fitting tip is one of the secrets to efficient and stable tuning. Not having as much slop probably makes them last longer too.

I just changed my main bit #2 Watanbe on my extension lever that had at least 1000 tunings on it. I also carry a Hale #1, a thin wall #2, and a worn #2 for restrung pianos with stripped tuning pins that don't fit any tip well... (don't ask) haa ha. As said above, good fit makes tuning a heck of a lot easier. My Fugan lever (used for high end pianos and concerts has a Watanbe #2 that has been on for a LONG time.......

The service life of a tip depends on weather the tip is placed or slapped on the pin, and the general fit of pins. Poorly fitting pins will shorten a tip life.

Oh....to change a tip, I change out the extension with tip already attached. The extra extensions add a bit of weight to the tool bag, but the quick change out is worth it.

...and you don't need to carry a tip wrench, just a small crescent wrench, which we carry anyway.

Our good friends at Renner USA have a great article on tuning lever design and maintenance.

In particular, they suggest using WD-40 to clean out your tip ASAP after turning rusty pins.

http://www.rennerusa.com/piano-technical-manuals/tech8.html

--Cy--

My worn tip was a Watanabe #2 also.

I don't think the tips I've gotten for some years are as durable as the old APSCO/Hale tips that seemed to last forever. Every time I put on a new tip I'm stunned at how much better it feels.

I suspect that we don't notice the gradual deterioration of the fit of tips, as every time I put on a new tip the fit is much more snug.

I was reading that Renner article, and it reminded me of something I would like to see in a tip. It mentioned the 1/2" thin-wall tip, which I have, but using it, I have noticed that it would be better if it were a standard tip, except tapered to 1/2" near the business end. That way, it would have the strength, but fit in a lot more places, like where the pin is too close to the pressure bar or an adjacent pin.

As for me, I am much more careless with my tips. There is just too much variation in the pins to worry about it.

I also use a #2 Watanabe, on probably 2,000 pianos. I don't feel the need to change it yet. I also carry an extension #2 tip (also a Watanabe)for when a plate on a grand is tall, or an upright lid overhang sticks out too far. I also carry a #1 tip, but95% of the time I'll use the standard Watanabe.

Never? I've always used the same size. #2 I think. Might have replaced it once? Probably after I used it as a hammer......

Hi Dan,
When I bought my Levitan hammer about a year ago it came with a #2 Watanabe. After about 150-200 tunings it wouldn't grip the pins. I noticed this on a few Kawai pianos in a row and sent it back to Pianotek. The #2 I was sent as a replacement felt similar after a few tunings so I scratched my head and put an old Watanabe #1 on it that I've had for years and it has been fine. My guess is that there is a newer batch of Watanabe tips, within the past 2 years, that might not be as solid. I say this because on my previous hammer I had a #2 Watanabe from '07? that lasted for years and always felt great but sold it when I sold the hammer. I'd prefer the #2.

Well, Eric's story seems to put paid to the idea that one should spend extra on a Watanabe tip when buying a new hammer...

never