Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum WM Knabe 1926 5'8 grand

I almost agree, except for the part about "just in the interest of completeness." There is an audible difference between old plain strings and new ones, a difference which is even more apparent when compared to new bass strings. So I do not replace just the bass strings on a piano unless the piano is very new.

Also, Knabes can benefit from rescaling. They had the right idea about some things, but the execution was not as good as one can do with the calculations which are easy on computers these days.

Thanks for the replies. We are considering doing all the strings now that the process is ongoing. It will certainly make a difference. I do have a question though.

The treble section has now lost some of the inherent response - ie, playing pf ppp and so forth seems to have suffered. The treble also drifted sharp on the first 2 tunings (done the same day), which I ascribe to the bass strings not tensioned while the treble and tenor section was done. Is this perhaps a tension problem with regards to the harp?

Also - when the hammers are replaced - what should I aim for (as it will be my decision)not compromising the action which is still light and responsive.

Many thanks in advance

Deon

Hi all - reporting back. I can hardly contain my excitement, the piano was tuned again yesterday, and it has a totally new voice. I could not play last night as I finished work late. This morning though, I had time and played a bit. First Scarlatti K141 which sounded really good given my not-yet mastery of the work, and then Chopin op 32 no1, the last section which most pianists fear as it is dense and difficult to bring out the melody clearly.

Well, the Knabe sang and i could manage the entire doppio movemento with absolute clarity in the melody. I then tried Debussy sunken cathedral, and again the instrument responded incredibly well.

I have decided to restring the treble as well, and only then replace the hammers if necessary. The tech thinks it may be OK just to file and voice the hammers, but I am leaning towards replacement.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Deon

Love to hear some recordings

Will do some over the weekend - maybe not the best quality as I will use an Iphone. But will certainly give a good idea.

Apologies - cannot post the recordings - file manager not appearing, and the piano has drifted so sound terrible (well, not really, like and out of tune piano). The recordings sounds terrible anyway, so will try something else.

Deon

Has anyone checked the tightness of the plate screws or bolts??

@Keith,I have asked the tech to check it. However, he is blind and maybe you can give me a heads-up as to what to check for. I remember reading in the forums about the issue. But, if I am going to tighten it myself, to what should I torque or not?

Deon

You faced the same problem I have with my similar aged Chickering. I bought it as a core, and I'm slowly getting around to rebuilding it. For me, the biggest headache is the order of doing things. I'm planning on the action first, since this get's in the way of playing well. The trap work also has to be fixed. The strings clearly need replacement, and the hammers are in good shape but they are very hard. The sound improves with hammer softening, so that may be an option for you too. This is a labor of love that needs to wait for house repairs to finish (never ending).

Fortunately the action was the first task and has been completed. The tech was adamant that we should wait with the reshaping of the hammers (which have had little use)until after the bass was restrung. The restrung bass is settling in very well, although we are keeping it a little flat at the moment. Huge difference.

Next week we will adjust the bass to 440 and then see how the piano responds. Then the action will be removed and the hammers sanded. While that is happening (i know this is the wrong way around) the treble will be restrung. I have decided to follow the advice of forum members and do that ASAP.

Meanwhile I am enjoying my early morning practice sessions with the Knabe - the tone is improving by the day. But the plate bolts does intrigue me. If I may ask, how does that influence the overall sound of a piano?

Deon