Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Sympathetic vibration in Bluthner piano

Dear all,

I have just acquired a 5'5 Bluthner Grand from a friend. The piano was built in 1987. If I remember correctly, it was the probably the first year the company used Renner action in their pianos.

The piano came from the Orient 3 1/2 years ago and has not been acclimatizing well in Canada. The following work has been done:

- new tuning pins
- complete action overhaul including replacing all 'felt portion' of the actions and centre pins.
- voicing and regulating
- bass bridge repair and replacement of bass strings.

The treble strings were sanded and cleaned of rusts. Before the piano was repaired, the fourth strings were rather dead. Someone posted on this forum that the fourth string should be tuned an octave higher, so I instructed my technician to do the same.

Lo and behold, all heck broke loose when we did that! I got all kind of unwanted resonance. Dropping the pitch in harmony with the other three strings reduced the noises but the uneven overtones (volume varies from notes to tones)were still there. I had no choice but to mute the strings completely.

Now, I have 2 problems. Certain keys still make unacceptable thumping sound when they are released abruptly despite the fact that the technician managed to reduce annoying sound in most keys to an 'acceptable' level.

What's driving me crazy is the metallic ringing sound that occur on a few notes immediately above middle C. I can assure you the action and the dampers are not the culprits. The sympathetic vibration is still there when I puck the strings with the action removed.

The sound seems to be from the area around the treble bridge. My technician who has had 35 years of experience rebuilding pianos, has tightened every single screw in the piano and tucked in every bridge pin. The non-speaking portion of the strings was 'Live' but he has since put felt to dampen it.

One moronic design of this piano is the use of brass bushings for the individual strings. There goes my respect for the designer! Had I known the possible problem, I would have asked the technician to replace them with felt bushings. Hey, I am just a piano teacher.

I am asking all of you to pitch in suggestions as to be what could be the possible cause of the ringing. (It is not sympathetic vibration from nearby objects either, the sound was there even in the repair shop).

I cannot afford to ovehaul the metal plates and replace the treble strings now. The technician fears that the strings might break if I remove them to get to the brass bushings.

I have check all the brass bushings and bridge pins myself by asking someone playing the notes repeated while I use a rubber mute to 'feel' the metal parts. I have since developed a phobia about these ringing sounds now, sigh!

Looking forward to hear from all the experts out there.

Regards,

Dan

Could be the agraffe or capo needs dressing. The metallic sound is not usually from loose bridge pins. Metallic sounds can also come from poor hammer string mating or poor agraffe string hitch pin alignment, also check for damper wires touching the strings.
The action noise on key release could be the hammer line is too low (hammers hit rest rail and screws are a bit loose)or the knuckles are flat and hard - have the tech bolster them, also check beding on the rear key frame.
Are the 4th strings in the treble only? If so just tune them to the other three strings, not an octave - how are you muting them?.
Not certain what the issue is with the brass bushings??
Not certain why spend the money on all the fixes mentioned and not replace the plain steel wire??

The fourth strings which have a shorter speaking length on a separate bridge are tuned an octave higher. Those strings go through a metal stud which is connected to the bridge. The top notes' strings go through shorter studs which are connected to the main bridge, and they are tuned to the same pitch as the other strings of that note.

Newer Blüthners have all notes with aliquot strings on the same bridge as the other strings, with normal bridge pins, and they should be tuned to the same pitch, like the top notes of the old style. I do not know when the change was made. It would be sometime after the 1970s.

Gene,

Thanks for the prompt reply. I suspected the vibration was from the agraffe too. The technician had it adjusted and it didn't help. Damper wires have all been checked. By the way, how does poor hammer string mating generate a metallic sound? (This is exciting learning experience for me to hear from the experts). However, in my case, the vibration was still there when I plucked the strings.

I personally feel that the bedding may be the culprit, at least to my ear this is where the thumping noise come from. The pieces of felt on both the bedding and rest rail have been replaced. Someone suggested adding extra cushion on the bedding and raising the keys, but I might end up not able to close the cover, LOL. I think I may give it a try. The only thing is I have to rely on my technician to do it.

I have since tuned the 4th strings (in the treble only) to the other three, but the harmonics vary in loudness from notes to notes. This is really weird. I have tuned the same piano for my friend before and the harmonics were barely noticeable. I remember telling my friend that the 4th string didn't do a thing to the piano! The technician has put a piece of felt damping the resonance. Well, this issue is my least concern now, I have to take care of the annoying ringing first. You gentlemen can throw up your hands and walk away. Piano teachers have to put up with the sound five hours a day, isn't that sad?


I thought the brass bushings may contribute to sympathetic vibration potentially. No?

My limited budget only allows my to change the tuning pins, action regulating and cleaning the strings. Bass strings were so-so and the last 6 strings were weak. Replacing the brass strings did not improve a whole lot. It was a real disappointment and waste of money. You know, this is an 'Opening-a-can-of-worm' situation.

A female friend likens the piano to a woman. My piano is like a blond, blue-eyed beauty. As years go by, shapes have changed drastically, blond hair and blue eyes are all that's left. Sorry for the sexist comment, she said it not me. By the way, the mahogany cabinet is a true piece of art!

Thanks Gene, have a good day!

To DBD,

Thank you for the information. I am learning something everyday.

Regards,

Dan

Remove wires from agraffe and ream/clean inside. Sometimes the shape will not give a good string termination.
Keyframe beding is straight forward to diagnose and fix. Don't change key end or rest rail felt thickness for this reason.
Key release noise can also come from badly worn key bushings or balance rail holes. Also it is possible for whippens to have loose glue joint at the rep lever mount.
If the rep spring is too strong and or rep lever is too high, sometimes the jack can thump against the stop spoon and make unwanted noise.

Hi Gene,

I think you are probably right on the agraffe as the string to the left is always more offensive than the others. I will get someone to look into this.

Now, the latest development about my costly love affair with this beauty. The bass bridge rattles today when the last 12 bass strings are played!

The cantilever bass bridge is a weird design. There are 3 layers. Imagine the top 1-inch strip rests on 5 half-inch small blocks creating 4 little empty spaces. The lower layer is half-inch and solid at one end. It tampers into quarter-inch leaving a overhang of a quarter inch on the other end and extends for 8 inches long. The overhang faces the tip of the piano with the other edge of the bridge rests on another thin wood block. This is the best I can describe it.

There has to be a reason for this design. Could it be that the cantilever design enhance the bass acoustics? But the opposite is true in my case. The bass notes are very weak.

It appears that my technician has re-glued the top piece as it had shifted position. There are screw that pass through the thin supporting wood block and extend into the sound board. Is this proper? Should the bridge need to be overhaul, does the piano have to be sent back to the shop? I am worried about the cost. Gene, could you comment on this bridge situation. Thanks.

Regards,

Dan

The cantolever design I believe was done so that longer bass strings could be used. I do not believe this is an acoustic advantage. There are good arguments that support the opposite idea.
Screws in the bass bridge that go into the ribs through the board appear to be normal for many European made pianos - there was a recent thread about this that you can search.
Try lifting the damper and pluck the string (something other than finger on bass string) compare tone and sustain to a hammer blow using the key.
If about the same (dead and tubby with new strings) and all other parts of the piano have good power and sustain you may need bass bridge work. More diagnosis by a qualified tech would be a good idea.
Are you certain the rattling noise is from the bass bridge?

Hi Gene,

I have the piano tuned again by a good tuner. He taught me to loosen the strings and stretch them because on the Bluthner each string is individually wound. It appears that the strings may not be in full contact with the agraffe. The stretching does reduce the vibration a bit. How do you ream the inside of the agraffe without worsening the situation? You are right, I should have replaced the treble strings.

My friend suggested the action noise could be from the Drop Screw hitting the buck skin at the end of the Repetition Lever or from the hardened Hammer Knuckle as you suggested. He said that such loud noises could not possibly come from any parts of the action hitting the 'felt' portions of the action since they have all been replaced. Is there any chemical I can use to soften the buck skin just like someone taught me to use alcohol for voicing purposes?

Yes, the bass bridge is a bit loose. I used a rubber wedge and put it under the overhang portion of the bridge and the buzzing sound was gone. I looked under the soundboard and noticed the portion of the sound board under the bridge has sagged a little bit. I felt a tiny ridge as I placed my hand under the sound board. I guess the cheapest way to fix the problem is to leave a rubber wedge beneath the overhang portion of the bridge for now.

I have always taught on European pianos that are rather temperamental compare to Asian pianos. I have a 1978 Yamaha U1 in the basement though, for back-up and 'student detention' purposes. The piano has survived extreme fluctuation in humidity and even a small flood. Truly amazing as far as tolerance is concerned.

Well, as least all these problematic pianos over the years forced me to learn to tune using a scope and to perform minor action regulating. I wish I can afford a Fazioli, a truly well-balanced piano. However, this is just wishful thinking on a poor teacher's income.

Have a good weekend.


Regards,

Dan

Remove the agraffe and look inside with a lupe.
The shape should be wide at the entrance and narrow in the center and should be smooth with a u shaped string seat. Look for string marks that could show that string may be touching the shoulder at the entrance as well as burrs, groves ect. There is abrasive chord that will fit in there or it can be reamed with q-tips chucked in a dremmel tool and rubbing compounds.
Can you just replace the buckskin? If it is black with greasy dirt maybe a little alcohol might hlep clean it. Maybe brushing carefully with a brass wire brush will help lift the knapp.
Maybe you should think about replacing the rubber wedges with wood? Be very careful about how far you drive the wedges under the cantolever.
Your Bluthner is a very fine insturment. You tend to write it off too easily.
It may be wise to hire a qualified tech to give you a full evaluation.

Thanks Gene for all your good advices. I am simply very frustrated.

You see, I have just got rid of my new Yamaha GB1 because I couldn't stand the buzzing and wood impact sound in the bass. I could hear every single hammer striking the strings in the winter months. I have to admit even the best pianos develop such annoying sound due to the drop of humidity. However, with the GB1, the sound was very pronounced owing to hard hammers a/o too much dope? Mind you two technicians who are among the best in Canada have worked on it. They are my friends and I still respect them very much. The problem is they don't hear what I hear. I took the liberty of toning the hammers right down myself and the sound was still there. I had no choice but to sell the piano to a student who is extremely happy about it.

Back to the Bluthner, I can spend another several thousand dollars to overhaul it and there is no guarantee that the sound will go away. (The bottom line is I cannot afford to spend more money now; also I do not want to jeopardize my friendship with my technician by complaining all the time). I once had another European piano with a Renner action and everyone thought it was a simple job to regulate it and they all walked away disgusted. As I said pianists have to live with all these pianos that behave erratically, you guys don't.

Not that I don't enjoy the Bluthner or appreciate its value, I simply do not know what to do with the metallic vibration jumping up randomly all over the place. My original plan was to get a new 6-foot Asian piano and voice it well. Really, the 'quality' of sound is not that important to me. I have always told my students that a good pianist should be able to make any piano sing! However, I am simply very bothered by any 'foreign' sounds while I am playing or listening to someone playing.

Sorry Gene, enough ranting from a grumpy old fellow. I will keep you posted and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help.

Respectfully,

Dan

We just have to live with all these erratic pianists who spend all their money on the piano and not enough on maintenance. Especially those who want their pianos to work perfectly, but then want to hire the guy who is cheap, rather than the one who can do the job properly.

Don't get me wrong Gene, I have great respect for piano technicians. Everyone has his or her own way of doing things. The technicians I used are very expensive and among the best. They will stand by their work and rectify the situation. If I have offended you, here is my apology.

What I was trying to say is that a piano is only a mechanical device and pretty much like a car. One could have done a great job tuning and the next day the piano could be quite a bit off. If you have lived in the 'Great North' long enough you will know what I mean. There are a lot of factors the technicians could not possibly foresee and cannot control. I totally agree with you on the part of erratic pianists not spending enough on maintenance. On the other hand, the problems may not show up while the technician was working on the piano. As soon as he walks off, the nagging problems come back. All I am saying is that technicians are like doctors, you do the best you can to diagnose in the limited-time appointment, whereas we have to live with the symptoms all the time.

Take the GB1 for instance, I still think it is a great piano for the money and would highly recommend anyone to buy it. I am sure the piano will sound great in a place like Oakland. During the bleak winter months here, it is quite a feat to keep up with 40% humidity. Most piano manufacturers recommend 45 to 65% humidity. You could use tons of humidifier but you risk ruining the house with excessive condensation, just to let you know the kind of predicaments we are in.

Anyway, thanks for your help. It is because I have too much respects for my technician friends that's why I am posting here. Don't get me wrong, as a professional piano teacher I will never put down other teachers. Likewise, I will not say things negative about technicians whom I know who can do great jobs. My problem is I have a limited budget but a mega expectation.

Will keep you posted,

Dan

?

The comment is not directed against the technicians. It is not them, it is the 'kind weather' we have here in the winter. Without adequate heating and airconditioning, like in an old church, you can have the two extreme change of humidity between seasons, enough to make any piano warp! Sure they can fix it, but that would mean very costly replacement of parts. One might as well get a brand new piano. Most people rebuild their pianos for nostalgic reasons, or if the piano has intrinsic value like the Bluthner I have.

Hence I have to make minor adjustments all the time knowing quite well the technicians are not responsible for it. Yamaha, Kawai and Young Chang have all learned their lessons. I remember every single one of these pianos developed severe problems when they were first introduced into this country. Now, I think they are among the best as far as tolerance is concerned

Dan

Dan, Wouldn't a "Dampp-Chaser" (with an undercover) help you to maintain 40+% humidity in a micro-environment around the piano, without the problems involved with humidifying the whole room? Even if it was only partially successful, wouldn't it help to ameliorate your problems?

Hi David,

I installed one on our church piano many years ago but I found it a chore to fill up the water. Beside, I actually found the touch and tone vary from week to week. I think I will try to maintain the entire room 45% humidity coming winter. I have been told the new 'Dampp-Chaser' is extremely good. I guess I should investigate the option.

In our modern church, we tune the Yamaha Grand 3 to 4 times a year to keep in tune with the organ.

Thank you for the advice.

Dan

Sorry BDB and Gene,

I was addressing to BDB's comments and thought I was talking to Gene. Owe you gentlemen apologies. Sign of old age, you know.

Dan

Dear Dan,
You write, "I have just got rid of my new Yamaha . . . because I couldn't stand the buzzing and wood impact sound in the bass." The piano is made of wood, metal, and felt. It is a percussion instrument. It has what are called "adventitious noises," that is, non-musical noises, because it is not an ideal instrument. On a violin you will hear bow noises if you are close; on a wind instrument, you will hear the performer breathe. Similarly here.

My guess is that the piano is behaving mostly normally and that you are hypersensitive to the adventitious sounds. (This is not a moral judgement: I have a friend who has a hard time in restaurants with certain banging, crackling, and ringing noises and has to leave.) Probably having a limited budget contributes to the number of things you can try in ameliorating this, but I think you may be asking too much of any piano made on this earth. Just my opinion.

(P.S. I just noticed "sign of old age." Are you getting significantly older? Your hearing may have changed, and hearing can change in such a way that adventitious noises are maddening. I see that a lot with older customers: voicing becomes a major issue, and the customers want the piano to sound "the way it did before." Sometimes it's perception by the pianist, not a change in the piano.)

Dear Dorrie,

You are mostly right. I am old but not significantly old. In fact, I look significantly young for my age, ha ha.

Yes, most pianos in Canada do develop such wood impact sound in the winter months. That's why my dear tuners didn't think there was anything wrong with the Yamaha. The problem with my piano was that several notes had noises which were significantly louder than others. Remember I am a teacher, I have to listen to some students playing single notes, and everyday I have to listen to Baroque music played on my piano without using the sustaining pedal, which will mask the noises.

Out of curiosity, I did go to several showrooms to check out the pianos in January. All the Yamaha grands have similar adventitious noises, although only restricted to several notes. Even a 9-foot Petrof has a few nosies too. Mind you both showrooms are located in a commercial plaza with frequent traffic. The humidity in the showrooms can easily be well below 30%.

The Chinese-made pianos are just as bad as my Yamaha. I looked inside the pianos and noticed similar soundboard material and hammers (those without inner coating). One piano even has a cracked soundboard, imagine!

GB1 is made in Indonesia, I guess the entry level Asian pianos all use similar materials. To make those short bass strings sound louder they must have doped them pretty substantially.

Then came the shocking discovery, a 6-foot Young Chang, platinum series, (brochure says no dope) also has faint impact sound which I do consider acceptable and a one-year old 6-foot rental which was MADE IN CHINA had none of it. The logical conclusion is that the toner is the culprit. Once the chemical wears out the piano may be OK.

I did wait until May to sell my piano, the humidity was around 60% and the noises were still there albeit less pronounced. I lost all faith and sold the piano to a happy student who had been using a turn-of-the-last-century piano.

Yes, you are right on. I used to be the most accommodating young man but now I am just a grumpy old fellow. As a music student, I used to practise on a piano that didn't even stay in tune. Imagine what an old **** I have turned into.

The Fazioli is my true love. But then, even if I mortgage my house to buy one, I need a better place for my bride. LOL.

Thank you for being so sweet. God bless.

Dan

I am having a real problem with someone who claims to hire the best and most expensive (not that those two necessarily go together), and then asks questions that someone with a modicum of knowledge should have been able to answer better, particularly someone who has actually seen the piano. It just does not make sense.

Dear DBD,

The 'best and most expensive' worked on the GB1. The technician who worked on the Bluthner charged a reasonable price but has generally been regarded as 'best for the money'. He apprenticed in a piano shop that is still the most expensive in town. He gave me a small discount because I have been a friend for many years.

I am the one that is asking all the questions not them. As a piano teacher I am doing not too bad as far as the knowledge on pianos is concerned, don't you agree.

Technicians and pianists alike, are among the proudest people on earth. Think of it, DBD, I give a piano to you for servicing and then turn around asking every technicians for advice. The information is for myself as a non-technician. Already, I fear he is reading this forum.

The Bluthner has only been back for 2 weeks. I have told the technician about the problems, but I will let the piano settle for a while before I ask him to come back to take a look. Another tuner has tuned the piano last week. Does it make sense now.

Judging from your knowledge on Bluthner and your seniority in this blog, I am sure you are one of the best around. We all live in an imperfect world, sometimes I wish things have not turned out the way it had been. My instruction to the technician was to change the tuning pins and regulate the action. Had I known about the problems I am getting myself into I would not have promised my friend to take care of his piano. The mutual agreement is that he has the option to buy the piano back.

I am only responsible for my teaching and my students. Unfortunately, piano teachers are among the most gossipy people on this planet. I try to stay away from making negative comments about other teachers fearing I might have to eat my own dirt one day.

Regards,

Dan

Dan, I am not an expert. I wonder if the treble strings that have a metallic ring were kinked when the pins were changed. Replacing these strings should not cost very much.

Also, the bass bridge repair seems to have been poor.

It may not have been the piano that they walked away disgusted about.

It seems that you are stuck with this piano. My non-expert advice is to find a technician that you trust enough to let him do the work and you not to tinker.

Regards,

Hi UprightTooner,

Yes, I am thinking of replacing the treble strings.

Obviously the bass bridge has problem. He re-glued the top portion of the bridge that had shifted a little. The problem appears to be more serious than that. He would have to come back to fix it.

As for the 'disgusting' issue, I fully accept it is the piano not them. I am sure they felt frustrated too. You are from the North-East, you must know what old man winter can do to a piano.

I will let the same technician fix the problems. It is not like finding a piano teacher for your own kids. There are literally thousands of us around. As for piano repair, it is a small world out there.

Thanks for the comments,

Dan

Dan:

If money is too tight, you could try replacing just the treble strings that have a metallic ring.

I didn't mean that the technicians were disgusted with themselves. I meant that they might be disgusted with your behavior. You seem to tinker with your piano, but are not satisfied. So you call a tech in and tell them what to do, and are still not satisfied. You give up on one piano and then get one that had been in a climate humid enough to rust the strings and perhaps cause the glue on the bass apron to fail. You have the pins but not the strings replaced by a technician that is the best for the money and then seem to blame the piano for not being a Fazioli! It is OK to never be satisfied. I’ve never tuned a piano that I was 100% satisfied with the results, and I hope I never do. This doesn’t mean that I can’t accept the results for what they are.

Regards,

UprightTooner,

Yes, I think replacing the problematic strings is a good option.

No, the technicians are not disgusted with my behaviour. They understand that I always do minor adjustment on the piano. In fact, they all are very good friends, I give them a lot of business and I treat them to lunches once in a while. That's why I will not betray my friends no matter what people say in this forum. I have never said anything negative about my technicians, some people may have read too much into my posts. I am glad that I am merely a poor piano teacher hiding in the 'Artic' and not a politician south of the border. I think there may be a clash of culture here.

I have never blamed the piano for not being a Fazioli. The bridge should easily be fixed although it may mean taking it apart. I don't know enough about it. Hopefully replacing the offending strings would take the vibration away.

Boy, it is interesting how people react to my posts. I admit I am not expressing myself well as English has never been my 'forte'. I really have to do some soul-searching about myself now.

Thank you for the comments,

Dan

As a spare time project for the last 8 months, I have been working on a Blüthner 6 ft. This instrument was in an oceanfront home, on the westward side of Vancouver Island, and was placed in the front window facing the water. A lot of moisture there…………..

Built in 1979 this instrument has a Renner action. It is my understanding that the Blüthners that came to the West, were equipped with the Renner, any Blüthners staying behind the wall, had the Flemming action. But I have only been told this second hand.

There has never been a problem with the bridgework anywhere. As a matter of fact, it was the metal parts that went rusty, including the string. All the joints in the sound board and bridge work were tight.

I am starting to think here, that if the bass end has come unglued on this instrument, what about the treble side, and also the special aliquot bridge? Surely to goodness, if the climate in the Orient was wet enough to loosen and damage the bass bridge structure…

………..Perhaps these have twisted, and are loose also, but this cannot be seen with the naked eye, because of the downward pressure on the bridgework keeping it in contact, somewhat, with the sounding board. This would also explain the loss of quality of sound on some strings. All that dampness must have damaged the quality of the metal strings. Also there could be unseen rust inside the metal eyelets on the aliquot bridgework…….

I have been in consultation several times with the former technician who worked for the Banff School of Fine Arts, and made improvements to a dozen or so of these instruments. One of the first things I was asked was, am I planning to re-string with new agraffes??

Really, this instrument needs to be re-strung from the start, with all the pressure off the plate, and the bridges and sounding board checked for accuracy, and continuity.

I used Röslau for the treble and went to Germany for the bass strings. For the bass set, I can tell you they are the best made bass strings I have seen in 35 years…………. A little more money, but for a Blüthner, well, if price was my only concern, then maybe I should not have taken on the project. But price was not my concern, having it done correctly was…………….

A high quality instrument cannot be patched. It must be fixed correctly from the start. I am surprised that there is a problem with the bass end after the new strings and the bridge repair. And then the rubber mutes for another patch? This is quite mysterious indeed…..

Also if the treble strings were sanded are they now seated correctly on the bridge pins? How were they sanded? By taking each one off? Why change the tuning pins and then not the wire? To put new wire in would have not been that much more work………This means the wire has been taken off and then put back on. I am of the opinion you will never get the string in the very same place it once was.

This instrument must be strung in a particular way. The coils have to be set correctly if taken off. Have a tour of some new coil work here……

http://picasaweb.google.com/silverwoodpianos/BluthnerAliqoutTour

Your instrument has dried out and the drying process has been detrimental. I have just had direct experience with a Chickering Grand that came out of an unheated cabin 100 miles north of Thunder Bay in a place called Loon Lake…. located there for 60 years. The Dampp Chaser has stopped all the accelerated drying process and I can now better control the changes this instrument must go through.

European instruments are not temperamental, European instruments perform, and this particular one at a high level. Because of this fact, any error is going to show up, and rather badly.

Asian instruments don’t perform……….. they just play….. ( oh, oh, I am going to get flamed on that one………….let me get the hose out first……….. I can see all the folks sitting up in their chairs and the typing……… oh the typing…………

cheers......

Dear all,

Both my technician and I have come to the conclusion that the Bluthner needs a complete overhaul. He will start working on it this coming fall.

I have to thank Gene Nelson, David-G, Dorrie Bell and Dan Silverwood for helping me to make such a decision.

I would appreciate any tips with regard to rebuilding this piano, especially technicians from the UK, who have had so much expereince with the Bluthner pianos.

God bless you all,

Dan

Dan:

Best of luck with your piano. Consider having your tech get tips directly from this Forum.

Regards,

Dan, Best wishes on your project. I sincerely advise you to have a technician work on your piano who is already well aware of how to do the work, has done it frequently with success, and might even be a resource to others. This forum, much as I love it, is not sufficient to guide someone through the process of a full rebuild.

Dear Dorrie,

Thank you for your concern from the bottom of my heart. My technician actually runs a 5000 sq. ft. facility repairing and rebuilding pianos. He has done many rebuilding work on Steinway, Mason and Hamlin and Heintzman for the past 30 years. Although it is true that the best talents are located south of the border because we only have a population one-tenth of yours, we are not that backward. I still remember as a teenager we had American tourists came up in the middle of July and asked to see an igloo. (Sorry, I have to throw this one in, our symbiotic relationship with our beloved brothers is a real love-hate complex. This is well documented in North American literature, I need not to elaborate)

I agree with Dan Silverwood. German pianos are engineered for maximum performance, just like German cars. However, they must follow strict maintenance care.

Dan lives in the west coast where temperatures rarely drop below zero, whereas the rest of us all have to endure bitter cold weather in the winter. When you have to stand outside at -45 degree, then you really know what 'freezing cold' means.

My Bluthner would have done very well in Vancouver. Today, the humidity in my studio finally reached 70%. My Bluthner sounded so well, even the rattle was totally gone and the buzzing noises reduced to a mere metallic sound. If one were to do an appraisal today, the piano might have passed. I literally had to give a gigantic pounding of the bass strings to induce a rattle. That's why I picked up the piano couple weeks ago thinking the metallic sound was a voicing issue. My technician has gracefully accept full responsibility. We will probably split the cost of rebuilding.

As usual, I am talking too much, sorry folks.

God bless you for your kindness,

Dan

Danfisher,

You are not talking too much at all. That is what this place is for, after all. Yes, the more moderate climate here on the West Coast is not as hard on equipment for sure. Actually, this is the only place in Canada that does not see snow in the winter.... well sometimes a little....

The fact that this instrument has re-hydrated somewhat, because of the summer weather, should be proof enough for you to consider a Damp Chaser unit for this item. I have installed one of the latest technology ones just a few months ago in the Chickering….. I cannot urge you strongly enough to purchase one of these units with the smart heater bar, within 21 days you will notice a complete difference in how this instrument reacts to the changing atmosphere.

Good luck on the project there, if you are in need of any further assistance, either use the PM Service here, or click on my web site icon below my name, and send me a direct email. I will give you all the assistance I can……… I have a couple of tech’s in Europe that might have other ideas for you too.

All the best…