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@Twocats
I love following the story of your Bo!
It should also be noted, I would like in on this "Bösendorfer pillow" accessory!

@aidans
I am just as guilty when it comes to searching for Bösendorfer accessories - I have none! Not even a lonely keyboard felt! Such a travesty!

Awwww, thank you!

Next spring I might be going to Prague. If I end up also going to Vienna, I'll certainly want to tour the Bösendorfer factory (bummed that I've been to both Vienna and Bayreuth, but at the time I didn't know that there were piano factories to visit!). If I do end up going I'll contact them in advance and see if I can hook you guys up with Bösendorfer pillows and keyboard felts

I want to go!!!!! 😍😍😍

ebonyk, group tour in Vienna!

So update on Bo, the touch definitely feels heavier but in a strange way, easier to play. Not sure if I have improved as a pianist but everything just feels a tiny bit easier. I'm a bit amazed at myself, like "omg have I become a much better pianist"? I'm still diligently trying to break in the bass. At fortissimo it sounds (mostly) great, but with a lighter touch it sounds unsatisfying and slightly muffled. I don't know if this is supposed to be "color"-- I really dislike the sound made by using the una corda pedal and think that it's too great a contrast to do a tonal change unless it's two very different parts of a piece.

I noticed that the notes that are clicking are softer. I think it's probably a regulation issue (they are not able to get as much hammer distance or something like that, so have less power) so I probably shouldn't keep banging extra on those ones to try to get them to sound like the others, it'll probably resolve itself with regulation. A bunch of the high treble notes have been completely knocked out of tune now.

It's still very hard not to judge the piano. In the meantime, it's great to be playing all the loud pieces and to know that it's actually what I'm supposed to be doing right now and it's not shortening the life of the voicing and regulation!

twocats, I know this has been nerve-racking and stressful for you. But you seem to be dealing with it well. I'd probably be a nervous wreck, since I'm a nervous type person anyway.

But I'm sure your two cats help to relieve some stress.

I know you will be glad when the break-in period has progressed to the point of being able to sit and enjoy playing Bo with the kind of touch and tone you are looking for.

All the best!

Rick

Thanks, Rick! Actually I have practically no stress about the piano, since all the stress happened 5 years ago with the voicing drama and then when my current tech discovered the lubricant in the key holes. Now it's all been successfully cleaned up and I have a new action, and I know my piano is going to perform better than before. That's the only expectation I have so it just requires patience!

Also, I have three cats now (decided not to change my forum name)! Our sweet girl suddenly died a year back and we ended up getting a kitten to keep the old man company. Turns out she became pretty aggressive and we were recommended to get a second kitten to redirect her energy! It worked and now both kittens are around 1 year old and are huge. Three cats is a lot, but our house is full of life and it's great

Sorry to hear about your cat passing. But now you have three kitties to help keep you company.

And, I'm glad you are well beyond the stress period with Bo. I love it when a plan comes together!

Rick

Awww, we have three as well!! Two we rescued in 2014 after we lost our cat Oliver, and the third we rescued in 2019 around Thanksgiving. I love how rowdy they are, life is the best when you have pets! ❤️❤️❤️

YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love hearing the kittens chase each other all over the house! But am very glad they haven't tried to get into the piano (yet)! They discovered countertops a month ago and things keep disappearing 😹

My husband wants to add a dog to the mix as well, but I think it's too much! 😳

LOL, we have a dog, too, but she’s small, a toy rat terrier. She tolerates the cats. My late, best dog ever, Pippin (he passed away a little over 2 years ago) LOVED cats, they’d constantly play chase! He was an awesome dog, also a toy rat terrier, he had the best personality ever! ❤️

My cats leave the pianos alone, but I always cover my piano benches because they do occasionally jump up on them when playing. I have an old yoga mat that I cut up, it makes a nice thick cover. 👍

He wants a big dog, or at least a medium dog! I've been firmly in the "no dog" camp for many years but I'm seriously considering one after our old man kitty is no longer with us. (But don't tell my husband, haha! I don't want to be held to this!)

One of my very real concerns is that a dog would chew on my piano legs! And also snack out of the litter box 😳

We have 2 little dogs, and we're *terrified* of them deciding to chew on the piano legs. When we went camping a couple of weekends ago, we actually bought a plastic fence to cordon off the piano area, lol. We had a house-sitter, but he's entirely too fond of our pups to be trustworthy, lol.

That would be a disaster! There's no way the piano could ever be refinished at the original level if it were chewed on. Cordoning off your piano was a good idea!

My Baldwin R had some damage where the previous owner's dog chewed on the lower parts of the legs, the corners of the matching duet bench, and a couple of small places on the sides of the piano cabinet. Of course, I got a really good buy on the R, and was able to repair the dog-bite damage well enough to suit me.

And, I'm glad the dog decided not to chew on the insides of the piano...

Rick

I think aidans is going to have a slight heart attack hearing about this! Haha, I think I'll start a new thread about pet damage. I'm on a roll with creating new threads 😹

We’ve had 4 dogs in the last 25 years and none of them ever chewed on furniture. We always supply lots of other toys and chewies and such, though maybe we’ve been lucky? I don’t really know, I always thought that only puppies chew a lot. I think firm training at a young age is probably the best way to discourage it, along with many other, more desirable, choices of things to chew. I’m no dog trainer, though!

ebonyk, sounds like you've been lucky! You only need one pet who decides to act out on one day... 😹

Twocats
Sorry for the confusion!
Bo wandering around like that and ending up in the Mason and Hamlin thread.I do not know how I let that happen!!! Tell me if Bo was an animal, what kind of animal would he be? Perhaps a rare flame colored panther? What do you think?

I think a phoenix

A mythical bird born of flame!

This is precisely my nightmare scenario! Fortunately, the Senator's legs have brass feet and wheels, which protects the most likely chewing zone. I may have to start leaving my shoes around as decoys.