Major action restoration on my piano.

[Dave Ferris]

I just completed a three and a half day major overall of the action on my piano last week. I took delivery of it on 5/6/06 and it was 9 months old when I bought it from a private owner.

 

By my estimation after 17 and half years, it has roughly 13,500 hours on it.  In the 9 months before I bought it, it was pretty much under lock and key at a school in Iowa and had seen maybe 50 hours if that. It was only used for a couple student recitals and master classes by Clare Fischer.

 

I had a major filing of the hammers back in March of 2022. The tone had been on a downward trajectory the 5 years prior to the filing to my ears. While the filing eliminated the brightness of tone and restored the richness that Steinways are known for, the whole process seemed to open up a can of worms with the action making noises that were never there before. It also simply felt too loose and sloppy from all the hours of use.

 

I had many techs over in that time and spent hundreds on the consultation, inspection and work they performed in an attempt to make things better. With one long time tech, we didn't see eye to eye on the severity of the problem. After the dust had settled, nothing really had significantly improved. I was highly frustrated, to the point that on some days I was spending more time on my AvantGrand because the action was tighter and felt more firm. I contacted a few Steinway artists in town, inquired as to who took care of their piano and the name Luke Taylor came up a few times. Ok, a new and unfamiliar name.

 

Luke, I found out,  is the current Chief Steinway Concert Tech for Los Angeles. He's 46, has a lot of experience  and is at the age where he's not burned out or has physical issues (like carpal tunnel, back, shoulder) that would limit his work. After contacting him it took six weeks for our initial consultation because he was out of town up in the Bay area working at a classical musical festival all month. This was the second week of July.

 

Within 15 minutes of him playing the piano and pulling the action out, checking the hammers, backchecks and repetitions, he sussed out my problems. After another 20 minutes of further discussion about what work he would do and the parts he would use (all original NY Steinway parts), I felt confident he was the guy. What sealed the deal was, I'd been having this obnoxious intermittent wood knocking noise starting from Ab7 up to C8 ever since the original hammer filing.  All the techs could never figure this out and it was driving me mad. Fortunately I was able to duplicate the noise when he was there. He instantly said...I know what that is, your key blocks need to be adjusted. After he made the adjustment, the almost like a woodblock noise that I'd been living with since March of 2022, never reared it's ugly head again.

 

The reason for the delay in the work, aside from him being very busy, was it took that long to get the whippens from Steinway. We were lucky he said,  some techs have been waiting over a year. Why? No one seems to know.

 

Here's his detailed report of the work done for all you aspiring piano techs out there.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Hi David, Here is a breakdown of what I did.

Steinway D #571692

 

*Reconditioning

File hammers to restore shape

Pin hammers (21.5-22 gauge)

Resuscitate key bushings (.147 balance, .129 front)

Resuscitate balance holes

File knuckles

Lubricate knuckles

Lubricate key pins

 

*New Parts Installation

Repetitions and Backchecks were replaced for noise reduction

- Noise caused by old yellow version of ecsaine. 

 

*Repetitions

- Remove old repetitions

- Install new repetitions

*Backchecks

- Remove old backchecks

- Install new backchecks

- Correct height

 

*Regulation

Angle hammers

Travel hammers

Align repetitions to knuckles

Align knuckles to hammer tails

Align jacks

Adjust repetition lever height

Adjust repetition springs

Bed key frame (over bedded)

Adjust let-off

Adjust drop

Adjust hammer blow distance (46mm)

Adjust key dip to .400” (highly uneven)

Adjust damper pedal lost motion

Adjust una corda shift distance

 

*Tuning/Voicing

Mate hammers to strings

Seat strings on the bridge

Tune to A440

Needle voice hammers

_________________________________________________________

As you can see from the list and photos, it's very detailed, labor intensive work. There's no shortage of Great pianists out there today but there is a shortage of Great Master techs.  Luke showed up at my house everyday at 9AM sharp and worked solid till 5 PM, with a 45 minute lunch break. 

 

After playing the piano for 4 days it's a night and day difference in the action. Tone is even more refined from the new filing. He said I have some years left on the felt of the original NY Steinway hammers but it would be up to me whether or not I wanted to replace them with the new Renner NY hammers. He said for concert halls or music schools where the piano is heavily played and for many hours a day, replacing the hammers on a model D is common practice after 7-10 years. In my case, I'm a lightweight with regard to touch.  My estimated hours on it come out to around an average of 2.5 hours a day over the 17 years & 7 months.

 

Also regarding the new hammers, aside from being around another 4K to 5K for parts and labor, there's the issue of Steinway changed their hammers around 2015/16 resulting in brighter pianos. Their tone today doesn't resemble my piano at all. That gives me pause. I might like it but perhaps not as much. So that's a maybe for the future.

 

As it is right now, it's not like a "new piano" but it's a vast improvement and should give me years of continued satisfaction and inspiration.

 

[Finale]

Nice list of items done. I enjoy regulating and tuning my grand piano myself since 2012. Bought tools and a good tuning hammer and I also tune a few other grands every now and then. It takes a lot of patience and attention to detail but I find it super fun. The first thing to do is to correctly sit the action/keyframe on the keybed so both touch at every adjustable point, otherwise if not done correctly all kinds of problems happen including weird noises and premature wear. I don't do voicing though, since this takes experience, but it's fun to quickly correct any annoyance or imperfection on keys and dampers should they happen, etc.

[Joe Muscara]

That’s awesome, Dave. I have a friend who sort of inherited a Steinway from a friend and former student of his that he helped pick out some 20 years ago, and he’s having trouble getting it regulated because all the techs in town are unavailable. 
 

My Kawai needs some touching up too, and it seems like it will have to be me. I just haven’t got around to making myself do it yet as I’m focused on playing it if I do anything. 

[Legatoboy]

Dave knows where the action is! 😁

[Old No7]

Very impressive!

 

The MOST satisfying and intriguing course I ever took at UMass Amherst (aka "ZooMass" when I started...) was "Piano Technology 101".  We read all about what could/should be done in a textbook, and why & how, and then got to watch the piano master at work during the "lab sessions" -- which were held in his workshop, of course.  I wish I'd taken that every semester for those 4 years, but  alas I didn't...

 

Skills like that man has HAVE to be retained, nurtured and passed along to someone younger who is deserving and has "the fire" to continue the trade.

 

Old No7

[Bobadohshe]

This is great stuff Dave. So much to chew on in your post.

 

It must have felt great to have all your mounting suspicions about the tone and that clanking woodblock effect validated. Did you ever wonder if you were getting old and just hearing things differently? Like maybe it was you? I wonder this sometimes for myself and I'm only in my 40s.

 

All your insights into this 46 year old dude being the perfect balance of experience and youth resonate with me right now. I have had a couple piano techs retire on me over the past couple years. The work is grueling and at some point even though they are obsessed with the craft, the get freaking sick of it. Lots of pianos are huge ass projects and they lose the zeal and appetite to dive into them. I just had a trusted tech tell me he wouldn't tune the old Steinway B at the church I play at anymore because of some sketchy work someone had done restoring it years ago. He said at his age he doesn't need that kind of headache, and furthermore there are only 1 or 2 people in town qualified to tackle a project like that. The art and trade is withering.

 

It's great you persisted and found the real deal guy. I imagine with his ever growing reputation he could work as much as he wants.

[CyberGene]

Very valuable info, thanks. I’m wondering if such a thorough reconditioning would have been necessary if it was a Yamaha. Not meaning to start any Steinway VS Yamaha war 😉

[Jim Alfredson]

The piano technician trade is endlessly fascinating but it can also be very frustrating. Clients want their pianos to sound and operate as new but every part is original and 30+ years old, the labor and cost of parts to restore the piano usually isn't worth it unless it's a Steinway, and so you have to work within a really tight budget to at least make the thing playable.

Right now I have two major projects on 'the bench'. One is a 100 year old Aeolian upright player piano that the family wants restored to working condition. The piano is all original. Amazingly it still holds enough vacuum to play a bit, though nowhere near where it needs to be. I'm working on it in stages. The first stage is refurbishing the action which will include all new hammers, new felts where needed, new action springs, new dampers, etc. etc. A huge undertaking in and of itself. Next step will be the keys. Most of the original ivories are long gone and of course the key bushings are shot. So I will rebush the entire thing, carefully shave down each key to accept the new plastic tops (which are much thicker than ivory), remove all the punchings from the front and balance rail pins and replace with new, and finally level and dip the keys with new spacer punchings. After that we'll assess the actual player mechanism and determine if it's worth restoring it. That is a ginormous job. 

 

Another client has almost the identical piano and they were super excited about getting it restored until I gave them the estimate. They understandably balked so now it's a matter of getting it playable since it's missing some hammers, everything is clanky, every felt in the thing is worn out, etc. They have given up on restoring the player mechanism (which is in far worse shape than the one I mentioned above). 

 

And finally I am picking up the action from a 1890 Kimball grand this week that needs a full restoration including new hammers, whippens, etc. The family loves the piano and when I first arrived to inspect it, the wife said "We know it's going to cost a lot and we're fine with that." Okay then. Let's go!

Anyway, I am one of the youngest techs in the area (I'm 46 as well) and I'm also one of the only techs that works on consoles and uprights. I know a few older techs that won't even tune them anymore much less work on them. Yes, it's very hard on the back and the shoulders. I had to change my technique because my 'tuning shoulder' was starting to experience a lot of pain when tuning consoles and spinets. 

Regarding the knocking, I love solving problems like that. I've amassed enough experience in the 15 years I've been doing this job that I can usually diagnose a problem before I even arrive.

26 minutes ago, CyberGene said:

Very valuable info, thanks. I’m wondering if such a thorough reconditioning would have been necessary if it was a Yamaha. Not meaning to start any Steinway VS Yamaha war 😉

 

Of course. All pianos eventually need refurbishing. 

[Floyd Tatum]

Congrats, Dave.   You're one fortunate guy!

 

Is that a grand-piano-shaped section I see in your hardwood floor?  🙂

 

[Dave Ferris]

34 minutes ago, Floyd Tatum said:

Congrats, Dave.   You're one fortunate guy!

 

Is that a grand-piano-shaped section I see in your hardwood floor?  🙂

 

 

The light colored hardwood is the original color flooring, the rest of the studio used to be a low nap green carpet that we removed two years ago and replaced with darker hardwood. The original plan was to replace the entire floor with the dark hardwood but when they got into the job, I thought it looked cool just keeping that section. But my wife has been after me to change it so everything matches. After two years I could go either way at this point.

 

And yeah every day I've sat down at that piano for the last 17+ years I realize how super fortunate I am. Out of all the many great players in this town, probably 90% don't own an instrument of this magnitude.

 

Here's a photo with the carpeting.

[b3plyr]

Dave - Most enlightening! Thanks for sharing the fascinating details!

[CyberGene]

1 hour ago, Jim Alfredson said:

All pianos eventually need refurbishing

Sure but some pianos more than the others 😉 I guess it’s hard to generalize but from my occasional reading of PW technician forums I’ve seen a lot of bashing for Steinway and how their quality can be all over the place whereas Yamaha seem to have consistent quality and better durability, preferred for servicing, regulation and restoration. 

[zephonic]

Congrats, Dave!

 

My baby grand has this occasional mechanical noise popping up when playing in the lower midrange with the pedal engaged. Of course, when the tech is here it doesn’t happen!

 

I’ve learned to live with it for now, because it doesn’t happen all the time. These pianos are almost like living things, with personalities and flaws, strengths and weaknesses.

 

 

 

[Jim Alfredson]

44 minutes ago, CyberGene said:

Sure but some pianos more than the others 😉 I guess it’s hard to generalize but from my occasional reading of PW technician forums I’ve seen a lot of bashing for Steinway and how their quality can be all over the place whereas Yamaha seem to have consistent quality and better durability, preferred for servicing, regulation and restoration. 

 

Any Yamaha that is as old as Dave's Steinway (17+ years) will need some amount of restoration, depending on how much it is played. Felts wear out, hammers get worn, action centers start to loosen. It's inevitable.

[jazzpiano88]

Dave, it must be a joy to have your piano back in satisfying condition.  Very cool description of the process!! 

 

I can only imagine how interesting it was to watch the process.   I always struggle to find the right balance between observing (never hovering) and letting a tech alone to do his/her job.  This would have been a tough one!

 

Your comment about being fortunate to have an instrument of that magnitude is so true.  I remember you talking about how Larry Goldings almost used your instrument for his solo record. a testament you must be proud of.    The maintenance of the piano is such an interesting thing.     In my experience it is extremely rare to walk up to any grand piano in the wild and be in playable condition unless it is less than a couple of years old.    People just don't seem to want to put in the $ and effort to keep it tip top.   

 

My C7 still satisfies me and I don't have any nagging complaints.   I was just checking out the overtones on a spectrum analyzer for the perfect pitch thread and the notes I was experimenting on were just spot on despite being due for a tuning/voicing.    I am still jonesing to replace it with a C7X Midi but will probably wait a while. 

 

Lastly, thanks for jogging the memory about Clare Fischer.   I went back and read some of the very interesting archives of you discussing him.  I'm guessing the piano was at University of Northern Iowa when you acquired it.        I pulled up his Big Band 1968 The Duke (Thesaurus Album).   God almighty, I've never heard a big band swing so hard in my life!

 

Thanks for the post!

[Dave Ferris]

12 hours ago, jazzpiano88 said:

Lastly, thanks for jogging the memory about Clare Fischer.   I went back and read some of the very interesting archives of you discussing him.  I'm guessing the piano was at University of Northern Iowa when you acquired it.      

 

 The piano was actually at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. And the owner was Phil Matson. At the time, Phil headed up the music dept. and bought the piano to lure more talented classical and jazz pianists to the school. Sadly he fell into some serious financial trouble and was forced to sell the piano.

 

Phil was highly regarded in the Jazz choral world where he wrote and published arrangements, many in the style of the Hi-Los. Stylistically he was influenced by Clare. I believe the two met in the 60s and became life long friends. And then Phil lived in LA for a number of years too, Clare lived in Studio City so they saw each other frequently.

 

A side story with Clare- I took three lessons from him in the early 80s when I was new in LA but pretty sure he didn't remember me. I called him and just about anybody I knew in LA that was either a player/composer/arranger, or who I thought might know someone  that might be interested in buying my Yamaha S6.

 

Clare's initial barked response was...."why are you calling me?! I already have a piano" ! I laughed and said, Clare I know you do but I just thought I'd let you know in case you might hear of anyone looking. I know you have the Yamaha S-400, this is the later handmade Yamaha and it's larger. He said tersely , "oh ok but I don't know anybody, (again) not sure why you called me". I'm thinking jeez ok why did I bother. And then in an attempt to mellow him out I said, you know the piano I bought is your friend Phil Matson's Steinway from Iowa. All of a sudden the nice Clare surfaces..."oh what a lovely piano that is. I had such a wonderful time visiting that quaint little village he lives in. How is he doing by the way"? I said good and he sends his regards. Clare was a complex guy. He could be highly volatile or a pussycat. A true genius.

[JoJoB3]

Following! Contemplating the same with an old (and nowhere near as sweet as yours) Cable baby grand for a small studio vs grabbing a deal on a possible Baldwin.

Gods work here. Do you take PM questions by chance?

[jazzpiano88]

1 hour ago, Dave Ferris said:

The piano was actually at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. And the owner was Phil Matson. At the time, Phil headed up the music dept. and bought the piano to lure more talented classical and jazz pianists to the school.

 

Ahh yes, Creston.   That's an apt way to put it from Clare's point of view, "a quaint little village". haha!  I'm about 75 miles from there as the crow flies.

 

Great stories!!   I loved that one about Jeff Berlin, Clare, and Prince's band!!

[Nathanael_I]

Concert grands deserve to be treated like Formula One cars - their exceptional performance envelope comes in part from the very small tolerances that define optimal function. Leather, wood, felt…. All necessary, and necessarily worn over time. So glad to hear that it’s fully back to “race” condition. Well worth the time and expense. Keeping a high quality grand definitely requires more than tuning as the years roll.  

[Montunoman 2]

Dave, I have to give kudos to your wife for being supportive of such an undertaking! 

[jazzpiano88]

On 12/12/2023 at 4:34 PM, jazzpiano88 said:

On 12/12/2023 at 3:20 PM, Dave Ferris said:

The piano was actually at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. And the owner was Phil Matson. At the time, Phil headed up the music dept. and bought the piano to lure more talented classical and jazz pianists to the school.

 

Ahh yes, Creston.   That's an apt way to put it from Clare's point of view, "a quaint little village". haha!  I'm about 75 miles from there as the crow flies.

 

Great stories!!   I loved that one about Jeff Berlin, Clare, and Prince's band!!

 

One more edit...   Morris Hayes (Prince Keyboardist) has a great interview by David over at the Keyboard Chronicles.

 

He talks about the requirements of playing with Prince.    He had to fit Clare Fisher's string arrangements within 3.5 minutes of stereo sampling memory at a time for live performance.    No recreation.   Sampling.       My favorite Prince'ism - don't be playing any "Dog Notes".    I think that may rival any Miles'ism. 😆

[Keybass]

Dave,

 

Two things I didn't see on your list that are very important are trap work, and damper stop-rail regulation.

 

Enjoy your piano!

[Dave Ferris]

Hi Alex, long time my friend, I hope you are doing good. Allan Cate mentioned that I might want to replace the damper felts at some point. I'm still getting this occasional zing on the release, no specific notes, just all over. I've had a few damper felts replaced where I initially heard the problem but it seems like the ping or zing just moves to a different area. Luke agreed. He also mentioned I could alleviate more noise by replacing the felt on the back rail (I think I got that right).

 

However the labor cost was really starting to add up. I was at $3500 plus parts, just under 6K total for the entire job. So that's for a later date. But I will pass along those other two suggestions to Luke for the next round. Thanks for posting.