Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Down a half-step again??? Help please!!

I'm not a tuner or tech but I'm posting this here as I'm sure this is where I'll probably find the best answers to my questions.

I have an antique upright Shubert Piano that was manufactured in the late 1880's. Recently it was 'restored'. I'm sad because although cosmetically it looks better, it plays very badly now. The technician did not have much of a clue other than doing the cabinetry I think.

Anyway, this piano was never in Concert Pitch to begin with but a semitone (half step) down. Its bass strings were made of steel and going rusty. The tech changed the bass strings and put new copper-wound ones which sound better but somehow do not seem to harmonise well with the old treble (still original) strings. Should all of the strings have been changed?

My main dilemma is because, at the expense of my piano now being in concert pitch, its original sound has disappeared leaving instead a 'thin' sounding piano particularly in the upper registers. I was told (afterwards) by a piano dealer that Antique pianos were not manufactured tuned to concert pitch and that the Restorer should have known this. Is this really so? And if it is true, should I get him to tune the strings back down a semitone where they've always been? This was done a few months ago. Would it be too late now...as in would the strings have been onverstretched and could the pinblock have become damaged by the extra strain perhaps? I don't think so myself since the piano has always kept its tuning very well and still does, only it sounds 'strnage'now.

Any comments pls?

Thanks.
ASTRID

All of the strings should have been replaced. That is why the treble sounds thin. The strings there are worn out.

Most all pianos with a full plate can handle A440. Some piano manufactures were trying to go even higher around 1900. Late 1880's is iffy. The breaking strength of the wire was just reaching the levels necessary to tune to A440 and have a decent sound.

Old wire sounds thin. The treble is usually done too for the exact reasons you describe.

kpiano

thanks..I'll have a talk with the tuner then.

In addition to old wire sounding 'thin', old soundboards tend to sound like this too. You know-- worn out. Collapsed. No crown. Probably any other problem you can think of that a soundboard of this vintage is likely suffering from.

As an aside. The piano dealer has no reason to be supportive of a rebuilders opinion. He won't sell a new piano if you have the old one rebuilt.

I doubt the piano was originally intended to be tuned any lower than 435 in the 1880's. Piano engineering was much less a science in the 1880's. Most old pianos were fairly overbuilt. BTW, the difference in overall tension from 435 to 440 is just slightly over 1% increase. Not likely to cause any pitch change disasters.

Sorry to be all over the board. The topic stirred up a lot of different thoughts (only slightly connected).

Dale