Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Yamaha DGC1A Downbearing - Help?

Hi all,
I am a beginning player and I am considering purchasing a used (1 year old) DGC1A Yamaha 5'3" from a private party. I have had a technician inspect the piano. He said the only issue he sees is that there is close to zero downbearing on the middle treble. He used some bubble measurement device. He says the piano sounds okay though, so he is not sure if this is a big problem or little. This is the only issue, otherwise it is in showroom condition.

Question 1: Is this a big issue?
Question 2: If it is, is there an easy and cost effective way to rectify? He talked about adjusting the plate but said that could be expensive. He wasn't sure if Yamaha had a way to easily adjust the plate or not. He is going to check though.

Thanks so much for shedding any light on this. I am not familiar with piano lingo so I hope this is clear.

If the piano sounds good, then the amount of downbearing is, fundamentally, of academic interest only. Bearing can vary according to many factors including the amount of humidity in the environment in which it has been kept. Unless there has been a humidifer in the room with the piano, or a full Dampp-Chaser system installed and used, the soundboard in the piano in question has probably lost moisture in the dry midwestern winter, and this would be evident in a relatively lower downbearing in the middle of the long bridge.

Downbearing is a complex topic, however it is clear that your technician is somewhat short on experience. He or she should be able to explain downbearing issues to you clearly and advise you on whether the piano has been kept in the right kind of humidity regime. Or whether the variation in downbearing corresponds with tonal problems in the piano related to such issues as sustain.

You would no doubt do well to find a more experienced tech to help you with your evaluation of this instrument. It is difficult to give useful advice regarding a specific piano without the ability to listen to, play and otherwise examine the instrument.

Card

I am curious, do you know what tool the tech used to check the bearing?

Larry,
He used a Lowell component downbearing gauge. He did tell me that it could be due to lack of humidity. I just don't know enough about pianos to know if this is a problem and if it should make me not buy this piano. Thanks.

As Duke Ellington used to say, if it sounds good, it is good.

The Lowell bearing measurement should be followed by just putting a string across the board on the underside. Many times bearing cannot be measured by the bubble gauge but there is measurable crown on the board. Also different techs have variations on exactly how to use the bubble gauge and results can vary.
The string can be stretched the length of the board between and paralell to the ribs as far as you can get it. Hold flat to the board and look for space between it and the board in the middle of the string. Do this in all areas of the piano.