Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Question on Regulation Yamaha C3

Hi,

Thought I would come here to gain some opinions and advice on some thoughts I've been having. I would like to have my piano tuned soon and was also considering asking for a regulation. But I'm not sure what that entails (or even what exactly I'd be asking for) and would appreciate some feedback.

I have a Yamaha C3 that I bought second hand and if memory serves me correctly the piano is ~40 years old now. In it's first home it was bought new for one child who went through ~10 years of lessons, then the second sibling (when an adult) got into piano and did the same thing a few years later. I am an adult beginner who has had the piano for ~10 years now. I've had the piano checked by a technician before I bought it and he has done regular tunings over the years. There were no concerns or issues noted when I bought it though we've talked about possible voicing and regulation at some point in the future. I'd consider myself an early intermediate player so not advanced by any means. In my playing lately I've noticed that sometimes I don't get a sound when playing some keys. Some keys do feel a bit different than others. Not terribly so but different. For fun I measured the touch weight using nickels and at middle C this is showing as 56g and lowest C at 61g. Some keys go down slower than others in surrounding notes (not at extreme ends of the keyboard). If I wanted to lighten this what is involved? Or if the keys were more even maybe this issue of notes not sounding might resolve itself?

This is what led me to thinking maybe it is time my piano got a good thorough once-over. I don't see any major issues and I generally enjoy the sound though sometimes some notes can sound a bit harsh. But I'm not sure if any of these things are my playing (and lack of ability) or something I should do as part of taking care of this great instrument. I want to take care and do proper maintenance on it but not entirely sure where to start. Any feedback and thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Here are some recent recordings I did using a zoom H1N recorder from a few feet away and the piano open on the half stick if you want to hear it. Last tuning was about 1 year ago.


Bagatelle
Hallelujah
Tantalizing Tango


Thanks!

Measuring static touchweight is not that simple, you have to understand how different thing interact witch each other, downweight, upweight, balance weight, sliding friction, static friction. I would guess that you have problems with uneven friction in action, but it's just a guess. Altering touchweight is usually an extensive job. When some keys doesn't sound when playing softly it's usually regulation issue: jack position, knuckle wear, knuckle lubrication, letoff distance.

Hi Ambrozy. Thanks so much for your thoughts. I really appreciate it. I didn't think touch weight is that simple either reading about the large number of moving parts. And if it 'ain't broke'then I don't really want to mess with things unnecessarily. I mean I've had this piano for 10 years now so I've certainly gotten used to the weight. Not that it hasn't been an adjustment (I did organ as a kid) and I feel just lately after all this time I am beginning to notice these small things.

If regulation can be equated to a car tune up perhaps it is time!

Hi Zoe. A regulation should fix the problems you've mentioned, or at least identify what the problem is if it can't simply be addressed through adjustment. I highly recommend getting a good regulation done, it makes a huge difference in how your piano plays.

Hi Emery. Thanks for your comment. It is much appreciated. I will be talking with my technician in the next few days I hope. I’ll ask how long it usually takes and the expected cost.

As mentioned in my original post I know I’ve never had this done since owning the piano and not sure when the last regulation (if ever) was done. It’s exciting to hear that this work will make a big difference. Thanks.

Huge! 👍

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

I have regulated and voiced a number of C3s and other pianos lately. It has made a lot of difference, enough so that owners who were thinking of replacing the pianos have decided to keep them. This should always be the first step in deciding whether to replace or rebuild a piano.

Reshaping the hammers goes most of the way towards mellowing out an older Yamaha, and some needling, properly done, can extend their life much longer, for a fraction of the price of new hammers, a new soundboard, or a new piano

The real problem is finding a tech who can do these things well. But at least if one messes that up, it is easier to fix than a bad replacement job.