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Dance Along Nutcracker!

Thanks, BDB. That conjured up quite an image in my mind and gave me a good belly laugh.

To be more exact, I did not dance at it, I just tuned a piano for it. I went to a different dinner dance yesterday evening.

Only in Ca. More specifically, SF.

I thInk it's a brIlliant idea. I'll see if I can promote one here for next year.

I was planning to drive in new bridge pins but!

For some reason I have a tenant who thought she could wash a potted plant down the bath tub drain.

And now for some reason the drain is plugged up with dirt and rocks, NOT COOL.

So far three hours of snaking and plunging and no luck.

How could anyone think that's would be a GOOD IDEA?

Tuned a 9' today in the labyrinth of tunnels underneath Waterloo station. They built a boating lake under there just for tonight. Pity they put the piano right next to it.
Many major concert artists are playing there tonite. Some kind of fundraiser.

Spent 17 hours over two days working on a late 1800s 7'5" Steinway C for a Manhattan recording studio. The piano was completely rebuilt 20-30 years ago and new hammers, shanks, and flanges installed probably 5 years ago. (Steinway hammers with gobs of lacquer applied.) Hammers were flattened out with deep string cuts, open strings everywhere and it lacked power and focus. Before I did the work it was not an easy instrument to tune.

I repinned all 88 (very loose) hammer flanges, traveled about 25 shanks, reglued 10 loose hammer heads, reshaped and aligned the hammers, seated bridge pins, leveled strings, adjusted jack position which was curiously all over the place, rep lever height, letoff and drop. I tuned it, and did hours of string/hammer mating and voicing. Bedding, key leveling, dip, and even hammer blow were already good and very consistent which saved lots of time. Still need to go back for some finishing touches on rep springs and dampers. Amazing how much easier and faster it is to tune now...

I've only tuned a few model C instruments before, and had never worked on one as extensively as this. It might even be my favorite Steinway as it seems to combine the best aspects of the B and D into a well balanced piano - wonder why NY stopped making it.

I always thought the C model was made in Hamburg only.

They stopped making Steinway Cs in New York a long time ago, although there may have been some made up until the beginning of WWII.

Good to know, thanks for the heads up BDB.

Steinway NY produced the Model-C from 1859-1936. The 88 note keyboard was introduced in 1870. There were some variations in the lengths ranging from 7'-1" to 7'-5" throughout the time period.

I have a NY-C which was built in 1906 and received a total rebuild in 2005. It is a magnificent instrument.

I looked at one from 1897(7’5”) here a while back. Rod mentioned he thought the legs and lyre had been changed out. I’ll see if I have a photo or two of that one.

Tuned 6 again.. Getting ready to head to Florida this coming Sunday for a week!!! Can't wait!!!

Did 3 today:

1) Started with a follow-up visit to do a tune, after last week's pitch raise, on a Hardman Peck mini. Also had to replace a broken string.

2) Followed by my first time on a nice baby grand Wurly for an existing church client. Had to free up a bunch of sticky dampers. Explained the benfits of installing a Dampp Chaser to her. Expect that will happen!

3) Finally, new customer at a grade school. Turned out be a 'bad piano day' here. A shiny Schubert that hadn't been tuned in some time. Sould have spotted a missing string on a dual but I didn't see it till it was too late. Broke 2 more strings on nearby duals. Started over, now with A435 as the goal....bang, one more! Third time was a charm but it had to be at A430 to make it through. Explained to the principal they have some issues on their hands with this piano. Needs quite a bit more attention then it has received in the past. With a little TLC, may be able to get this thing up to pitch in due time. The good news is they never play other instruments with this piano.

Tomorrow will be better.....the better half and I are taking the 4 year twin grandsons to see Santa!!!

Don

Hello Silverwood Pianos

Could you tell me what the cost is for a tuning?

For one tuning the fee from my shop is xxx.xx . Could you tell me when the instrument was last tuned?

We moved here in 1999 and the piano has not been tuned yet. Do you think it needs it?

I’ll book a tuning for you to begin with, and we will go from there.

Typical call. I'm getting calls now from people expecting that I can still tune it either this week "this afternoon is fine or anytime next week would work too but Monday's are best, or, Tuesday morning." Ummm, nooooo... I'm booking February.... Your procrastination gets you someone else...

3 Churches yesterday. 2 pianos at my church today. Last one tomorrow morning for a "new" piano just moved to the house yesterday.

Not sure if mine at home is gonna get tuned before we host xmas eve... :-(

Ron Koval

Setting in Sanford Airport in Orlando Fla., waiting. Plane iced up last night. They have no deicer down here so it has to deice naturally. About, one hour delay...Figures.

What, no smudge pots?

1.5 hour delay now. Crappy weather. Anyone want to tradeweather? Might be fun to trade tuning businesses for a couple of weeks just to see what the other tech really does! 😏😇