Pleased with my piano, at its best.

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 veteye 29 Sep 2017
This morning the piano tuner came, after a long gap. So now it is in perfect form, and I am chuffed.
A simple fix, that makes me happy, for a reasonable fee.
Who else has had an improvement in their set up for their pastime?(Fixed a trails bike or an ATB, or simply gone out and bought a double-bass string, or mended the easel, so that painting still-life is more straight forward, etc)
 Yanis Nayu 29 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

> This morning the piano tuner came, after a long gap. So now it is in perfect form, and I am chuffed.

> A simple fix, that makes me happy, for a reasonable fee.

> Who else has had an improvement in their set up for their pastime?(Fixed a trails bike or an ATB, or simply gone out and bought a double-bass string, or mended the easel, so that painting still-life is more straight forward, etc)

I hope they cleaned up after themselves.
3
 pec 29 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

Funnily enough I actually tuned my own piano last night, there were only half a dozen or so notes that were out but its made such a difference. I sound much better now without having to do any more practice!
 climber34neil 29 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

Unfortunately the opposite for me. Went to change the strings on my guitar, going from heavy guage ( ernie ball heavy top skinny bottom) to 10's ( regular slinky's) and inadvertently ended up stuffing up the set up of my Floyd rose and now it sounds awful , won't stay in tune, horrendous fret buzz and stripped the thread on one of the Floyd saddles!!! So that went well! No option now but to take it in to have it done by someone who actually knows what they are doing
OP veteye 29 Sep 2017
In reply to climber34neil:

Commiserations. Take it first thing tomorrow, as you're going to have to pay anyway, and the sooner that it is there, the sooner it will be back.
 birdie num num 29 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

If your piano is in tune then I can show you how to play chopsticks
2
 climber34neil 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

Your right but sadly I'm working all weekend , I did consider phoning in sick and saying I have to take my guitar to hospital but not sure I will get away with that??
OP veteye 30 Sep 2017
In reply to climber34neil:

Get a friend to take the guitar, but perhaps you would not trust them to get the best job done?
 BusyLizzie 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

I had my spinet serviced a few months ago. I tune it myself, and sometimes the jacks need sanding when changes in humidity make them swell a bit, but over time things get uneven and proper attention is needed. The transformation was lovely - from a clunky, slightly tired feel back to its usual tinkly perky crispy self.
 climber34neil 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

I think it will wait until next week when I can take it, of course when I'm there I could always get another one ( just in case of emergency!)
In reply to veteye:

I've found that a piano in tune is easier to play, and recently when I had one tuned it made the action seem lighter even though there had been no adjustments to that. I suppose one is mentally fighting a piano that is out of tune, to some extent.
 Dandan 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

I had a good chisel and plane sharpening session a few weeks back, I definitely don't do that often enough, it makes such a pleasing difference!
 Doug Hughes 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

I tuned my guitar once...

More seriously, I took it into the shop for them to fix the electrics, and got them to do a set up at the same time. It's so much easier to play now, and they paid a bit of attention to the nut so it stays in tune better. The big bends at the beginning of 'Run to You' don't now require a mid-song re-tune!
 FactorXXX 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

I've always wanted to know this, but is it true that the best piano tuners are blind and some even deliberately make themselves blind to enhance their craft?
 Pete Pozman 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

Imagine this thread on the Daily mail message boards... I don't think so. Respect to all posters.
 SouthernSteve 30 Sep 2017
In reply to FactorXXX:

There are some very good piano tuners with sight loss - the second question - well!!
 Timmd 30 Sep 2017
In reply to FactorXXX:

I can't see many people making themselves blind on purpose? What a horrible thought.
 Shani 30 Sep 2017
In reply to climber34neil:

If it is a floating trem, you need to remove trem springs to counter the effect of your lighter strings.
 LeeWood 30 Sep 2017
In reply to John Stainforth:

> I suppose one is mentally fighting a piano that is out of tune, to some extent.

a subliminal desire to tap the notional key somewhere between the physical keys - in order to obtain the correct pitch ??
 plyometrics 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

Not quite the same, but finally got round to mounting my snowboard (sans bindings) on the inside of our boot room.

Its been couped up in a snowboard bag since 2010, so it now serves as a rather cool looking reminder of happy days riding.
 FactorXXX 30 Sep 2017
In reply to Timmd:

I can't see many people making themselves blind on purpose?

I didn't think so, but there are a lot of gullible people about...
 Trangia 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

Things that make the difference between a struggle and bliss:-

Freshly sharpened ski edges

Newly sharpened chain saw blades

New masonry drill bits
In reply to LeeWood:

Yes, something like that. It's weird, I don't understand how the touch can feel lighter!
 wilkie14c 30 Sep 2017
In reply to veteye:

Made a wheel truing stand out of some box and bar off cuts in the garage and used it to true my wheels, both lateral and radial and get all spoke tensions within 10% of each other. Well chuffed!
 Morty 30 Sep 2017
In reply to Trangia:

> Things that make the difference between a struggle and bliss:-

> Freshly sharpened ski edges

> Newly sharpened chain saw blades

> New masonry drill bits

Vaseline
 climber34neil 30 Sep 2017
In reply to Shani:

Yeah I did that but also stripped the thread on one of the saddles when tighting the saddle bolt to hold the string in so I need a new one of those as well!
 Shani 30 Sep 2017
In reply to climber34neil:

Ouch! Trip to the music store probably your best bet then!

I've never got on with floating trems. I prefer my hardtail, although my strat gets an airing on occasion!
 climber34neil 30 Sep 2017
In reply to Shani:

I really like the sounds you can get out the Floyd but I'm wondering if it's worth the set up hassle, I'll take it to my local music shop and get it sorted, and maybe look for a hardtail as well, always fancied a prs se, seem like good value
 AP Melbourne 01 Oct 2017
In reply to Shani:

,, although my strat gets an airing on occasion!

My '68 Strat lives by my side Shani. Could probably do with new stings but my mate Charlie tunes 'The Little Red Rooster' up on Sundays.

[Psssst, glad you noticed the nod to 'our' dad on the other channel BTW].
 Shani 01 Oct 2017
In reply to AP Melbourne:

Yep.
 Rog Wilko 01 Oct 2017
In reply to wilkie14c:

There's a link between the OP and your post, which is that I knew someone long ago who used tuning forks to get the spoke tension even.
 wilkie14c 01 Oct 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Yes, i've read that some pro wheel builders pluck each spoke to assess the tension. on my wheels it was clear by the plucking sounds that some were looser/tighter than their neighbors however I stuck with my tensiometer. I don't know what I'm supposed to be hearing nor is my hearing is acute enough to pick up slight differences.
OP veteye 01 Oct 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:

Is the spinet just for fun, or are you a professional musician?
I remember having a quick play on a spinet when I was about 12 when I was a choir boy and practicing for the St Matthew's passion, and really being entranced by it.
I almost bought a double manual harpsichord on ebay a few years ago, but realised that it might be hard to find a space for it, and it would have made a large dent in my finances. Instead I am wondering about a Stage 3 Nord keyboard, which will be nothing like, but have a lot of great flexibility.
Ultimately, though, I am a piano man, and would love to have the money to buy a really expensive piano, such as a Fazioli or a Steinway, but I remain in dream state...
OP veteye 01 Oct 2017
In reply to John Stainforth:

My piano was not that far out, but I can tell the difference, and it just gives me a buzz to play.
Now I'm inclined to try to find the time to learn/practice more of the Goldberg Variations than just the aria.
OP veteye 01 Oct 2017
In reply to Dandan:

So you now can do the job with a zing in your heart. Or do you sculpt as well?
OP veteye 01 Oct 2017
In reply to Trangia:

I can especially relate to the drill bits, both at home and in my work.
 BusyLizzie 01 Oct 2017
In reply to veteye:

The spinet is just for fun! I have a nice piano (upright, but an old one with an iron frame, which makes all the difference); I bought the spinet at the Greenwich Early Music Festival a few years ago, for my own pleasure but also for the motley bunch of lovely people who turn up to play baroque stuff with me. The space I have is not big enough for a harpsichord - it would growl in the bass notes, and frighten the neighbours. The spinet is very crisp and the right size of noise for the room.

I had to collect the spinet, when I'd bought it, from Frome where the maker lived, and did so on the way home from a climbing trip. Told my climbing partner "Oh by the way we are picking up a spinet on the way back". A brilliant day.

 Blue Straggler 01 Oct 2017
In reply to Timmd:

> I can't see many people making themselves blind on purpose?

Nor can they. Boom boom.


Why have you put a question mark at the end of that?


Deliberate self-blinding does go on in religious and secular cults. Not sure about the statistics, but it's definitely "a thing", as they say.
 Blue Straggler 01 Oct 2017
In reply to veteye:

Not a pastime as such, but on just a couple of cars I've had, replacing the tyres (on garage advice) when I'd been thinking the car was perfectly driveable, has made a huge difference. Notably on a Vectra I once owned. This isn't a reflection on the quality of the Vectra as such; more a comment on how it's quite amazing that a car can feel reasonably driveable even when the tyres are in dire need of replacement.
 toad 01 Oct 2017
In reply to veteye:

I had about 40 minutes impromptue canoe coaching this morning. Identified a gazillion basic faults but left me feeling much happier on my paddling
 Timmd 01 Oct 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:
> Why have you put a question mark at the end of that?

To indicate a questioning tone of voice.

> Deliberate self-blinding does go on in religious and secular cults. Not sure about the statistics, but it's definitely "a thing", as they say.

I think I knew that it does happen, but I'd never heard of piano tuners doing that. I've definitely heard that blind tuners make very good ones though.

Funny old world, in which people will blind themselves. Crazy.
Post edited at 23:09
 Blue Straggler 01 Oct 2017
In reply to Timmd:

> To indicate a questioning tone of voice.

That isn't how written English works though. Is it?
 Timmd 01 Oct 2017
In reply to Blue Straggler:
> That isn't how written English works though. Is it?

Never mind.

I might just carry on?

Edit: :-p
Post edited at 23:44
OP veteye 01 Oct 2017
In reply to BusyLizzie:
That sounds good.
I am benevolently jealous of you and your spinet.

Post edited at 23:41
 Blue Straggler 01 Oct 2017
In reply to Timmd:

> Never mind.
I do mind. Don't tell me never to.

> I might just carry on?

I was doing a really really subtle and clever and hilarious thing w.r.t. the OP. Can you tell what it is yet?
 FactorXXX 02 Oct 2017
In reply to Timmd:

I can't see many people making themselves blind on purpose? What a horrible thought.

Is it also true, that many of the acclaimed art aficionados are deaf and it's been known that people have poured molten lead into their ears in an attempt to achieve equal status?
 BusyLizzie 02 Oct 2017
In reply to veteye:

> I am benevolently jealous of you and your spinet.

If you are ever in the Reading area you are more than welcome to come and play it.


 nufkin 02 Oct 2017
In reply to FactorXXX:

> people have poured molten lead into their ears in an attempt to achieve equal status?

'Equal' as in 'no messy or uneven signs of life'?
 SouthernSteve 02 Oct 2017
In reply to nufkin:

>> people have poured molten lead into their ears in an attempt to achieve equal status?

>'Equal' as in 'no messy or uneven signs of life'?

A brief internet search confirms the view that this is a lethal procedure, with origins in myth and also mentioned in some religious teachings - horrible.

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...