Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Seasonal variations in hammer felt?

Lately my Estonia has begun sounding quite harsh in the treble, perhaps like it needs some voicing. It was tuned five weeks ago and the humidity, which I monitor, has been quite constant since then. It has a Dampp-Chaser, too.

My tech (not the one who last tuned it) voiced it down quite a bit last October, and he suggests I do nothing for a few weeks because the hammer felt could be affected by the start of the heating season. So here are my two questions:

To what extent can I blame this harshness in the treble on the season? And, is it reasonable to consider more voicing after a year? It gets 1-2 hours of play a day.

Carol

Carol you and I have the same problem and we both live in Michigan too. Coincidence? Probably not.
The timbre of my treble has changed drastically to the point I need to call in the tech to see about it.

Let me know how you solved it.

If it's been a whole year, it's time to tune it again anyway and then do some voicing. Why wait? No reason to wait. Voicing changes more from use than anything else. The more use it gets, the more the felt in the hammer packs thus, the more sooner voicing might be required.

What part of Michigan do you reside? Maybe I can give a recommendation seeing as how I also live in Michigan.

Hi Jerry,

It hasn't been a year since it was tuned, only since the big voicing in October 2007. After that, it was tuned in December, April, July, and September (five weeks ago).

We're in Jackson County. I have a local tech here who does just tunings, and a second tech in Lansing who's more experienced and whom I call when it needs something more, like voicing or fixing a noise. (I tend to alternate between them, because the Lansing tech has a long way to come and is really booked up, but they stay in touch with one another so that each knows what the other is doing.)

Carol

Verania, it sounds as if we have similar situations! Have you noticed this change in tone in previous years, too, or is your piano new?

Gosh, maybe all that our pianos need is tuning! (Again!) My strings have been stretching because it's only two years old, but that has lessened a lot in the last few months.

My piano is new to me and its strings have been replaced a few months ago. I don't have a damp chaser, just room humidifier/dehumidifier. It has yet to be voiced as the hammers are new too and haven't had enough wear pattern for the tech to voice with. I'd love a recommendation.

Jackson county is pretty vague but, in guessing the zip code as 48951 where you're at, I found these three.

REEDER, JAMES M. RPT

Address: LANSING, MI 48906 USA
Chapter: Lansing, MI
Phone: 517-886-9447
Email: info@reederpianos.com
Web: www.reederpianos.com
Services Offered:

SHANTZ, NELSON C. RPT

Address: ANN ARBOR, MI 48103 USA
Chapter: Lansing, MI
Phone: 734-761-3230
Email: nelsoncshantz@comcast.net
Web: www.nelsonshantzpiano.com
Services Offered: Tuning, Voicing, Action Regulation, Complete Restoration including soundboards


HEIKKINEN, DALE E. RPT

Address: ANN ARBOR, MI 48104 USA
Chapter: Detroit-Windsor, MI
Phone: 734-662-0915
Email: heikkinena440@att.net
Services Offered: Tuning, Action Regulation, Touchweight analysis and correction, Estimates/Appraisals

I would highly recommend a technician that does both tuning, repairs, voicing and whatever else needs to be done. Otherwise, those things that NEED doing, will not be done by only a "tuner." A tuner/technician, one that does it all, is best. Yes, we charge more but, it will be worth it in the long run.

Jim rebuilds Steinway's and is very good.

For verania5, we're still trying to figure out where you are... AA? What's that?

For verania5, we're still trying to figure out where you are... AA? What's that?

She must be at a meeting. AA...

AA?

I believe that is "Ann Arbor"