Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Mysterious Little Pins...what do they do?

Now, I may be completely wrong here, but there are these little pins that stick up from the wooden rods that run down underneath my piano from the keys. They each have a little red ring around them. If I were to adjust/tighten these (gently), what would this do? Would it help the touch? What is the function of these mysterious little Pins? Just wonderin'.

Sounds like the guide pins. I don't think you want to be messing with them. If the action is stiff a tech might ease the felt in the key, but then again he might not, as the tightness problem may be due to something else.

"Help the touch". Do you need a discussion with a tech. In what way does the touch need helping?

It's not clear to me what you're talking about; a photo might be helpful.

A guess is that what you're talking about are the adjusters for the drop action stickers (rods) at the back end of each key. Their purpose is to adjust the proper amount of lost motion between the key and the action. They don't really do anything for 'touch' but will affect the responsiveness of the action.

Which of these diagrams shows your action?

A:

B:

I apologize. 7. 7 in the diagram. Those pins real close to the keys. Also, mine has a wooden drop action. The action is much like the one in the first Diagram. I think this action might be easier to service, but I'm not sure.

#7 are the balance rail pins. They hold the keys in place.

Thanks, BDB. So......I'm gonna have to pay somebody then to get the touch and responsiveness back to where it was, correct? Is there anything I could do? I understand how the action works. What affects the touch? I've noticed in the bass the keys feel like a regular upright, but as I go up the scale it starts to feel loose. I think this is because the action in the bass is less worn...but I'm afraid I'm slowly starting to wear that down with my walking basslines.

If you rotate them (even a little) out of line the action may get stuck/much harder. I figured out and fixed a few of them that were a tiny bit out, to get smoother running action on a few keys.

And I guess scratching them is a bad idea as well.

The red rings are probably felt to give the action the proper height. The height is critical in the total adjustment, so I would not mess with that. Techs here can probably give more details on that.

Sounds to me like it's time to call a tech in to see about some regulation work on the piano. Understanding the basic functioning of an action is one thing, but not knowing what the indiviudal parts are and do is a pretty good sign that you don't have the knowlege (or tools, I bet) to go adjusting stuff on your own without risking damage to the piano.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

ABove image is not showing all of the action

Here is a better picture



I thought you were talking about pin 54 that is not in above picture.

Wouter79,

Wurli's piano is a drop-action spinet, rather than a grand.

Thank you, Wouter. But that's a grand action. I have a Wurlitzer Upright.
I am 16. I don't have the money to be spending on regulating my piano. I rake in about 190 dollars for christmas from the family. I'm very fortunate to get this. Would this be able to help my piano if I paid a tech? That would be all my Christmas money, but I desperately care for my Piano. When my parents had it tuned, the tuner commented that the inside was in good shape. It just needs some regulation.

You probably have too much lost motion in the action. There are many variations in drop actions, so I cannot advise you whether it is something you can fix or not. You might look for the Reblitz book in your library, but it may not help you for your specific problem.

Thanks for asking this question. I'm going to study these diagrams. Someone told me that I should "glue" each pin in one by one!??

Thanks again for asking this question!

BDB, if it helps, my action is very much like the first Variation OperaTenor posted.

Thank you all again for these responses. Your input is very much appreciated!

It helps to understand your situation, WurliFan. Perhaps you could call the tech who tuned the piano and ask what he would charge for regulation ... if he can price it without looking over the instrument again. You could also try posting in the Technician's forum, if you haven't already. They may be able to offer advice on things you could do yourself, etc.

Again, best of luck with your piano.

Yes I know it's a grand. But I could not find the right pic for an upright.

Do uprights not have these pins at the FRONT of the keys?