วีดีโอ

This is exactly the video I needed! You're a brilliant educator, glad i came across the channel. Thanks for making these videos :)

We unfortunately live in an area where we don't have piano tuner/technicians. We are too far out in the country. There was one that was an hour from us. He came and said he needed to adjust the key heights of my baby grand. It took him 3 hours and afterward he said we would need to play it before it would settle. No problem for my son who is an advanced pianist. But it has been over a year and it has not "settled" and it is nearly unplayable. I have thought about calling him back to fix what he did but I am afraid to have him come back and make it even worse. Sadly, I don't think he knew what he was doing. And, it costs a fortune to have someone come out to us. Now, I don't remember him pulling out the keys/stack like you did at all. He did take off the front panel. Now the keys no longer have a let off (I am not sure what to call it), say when you slow press a key all the way down and there is a moment at the end where the hammer drops back a little bit like it released. I hope what I am saying makes sense! And the keys feel very spongy. Is it possible he just added the large rings/punchings to the front and didn't do anything with the smaller back rings? Measuring from the wood to the top of the key is about 19mm. So that seems in range, but something is definitely not right, and now some keys you have to push really hard to make them play. Its not good. How bad of an idea is it for me to try to fix this myself? Lol! Tempted to go in and remove some of the punchings in the front. I would be happy just to have it back to the way it was before.

Brilliant

Thank you for explaining it in depth. I have a 1917 upright that I'm just about to embark on rebuilding the entire key bed and keys. I've never done it before and I am looking forward to the rebirth when i'm done. But until your video, I really had a very limited view of just exactly how to do this. I had a mentor many years ago who "over explained" things and I really appreciated the extra information and the in depth training I got from him. You can never over explain anything when it comes to piano tech. I'm a sponge.

I have done it recently, looks like someone plucked a sheep there 😁Thank you for all your videos!

🎉😮❤

Hammer voicing

will this have any effect on sound quality or longevity?

Thanks, Jim! You are the best.🏆

Where do you live?

My experience is leveling keys can be quite challenging so glad you gave some good tips!

interesting the way you put balance rail punching on and off, I take off the whippen for the key I need to raise or lower and then raise the key to get to the punchings. Once the punching has been added or removed, I put the whippen back and check it out.

Jim! It's so fun to watch you work! You are such a master at what you do and have helped so many of us!

Brilliant and very helpful in refining technique

thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom so freely

excellent tutorial! I love your videos, Thank you!

does this eliminate false beats? sorry if I'm being dense - new to all of this...

thank you for being so generous with your knowledge - this is so helpful!!

Thanks!

I'm loving all of your videos Jim, thanks for sharing so many great tips. Quick question here: How exactly do you use the tray for holding damper underlevers up instead of the long jig shown here?

Very helpful!

Very helpful, many thanks!!

Wow sound file example was great

th-cam.com/video/pkNXx2XRcgk/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared

Jack holder!?!? Where can I get one of these??

interesting. Keep it up! 🙂

Thanks for these vids! My technician and good friend passed away a while back and although he taught me a lot I sure didn't learn all the tricks. Your vids are filling in the blanks and I've been able to take care of some nagging issues in my piano that previously had been a mystery to me.

For an upright, do you remove the hammer rail and lay the shafts horizonal?

Thank you.

Thank you, Jim! I should be able to do this! I appreciate it!

Very good😊

Great video. Those example photos are hilarious. Cleaning up after a bad job isn’t fun be it can make for some good comedy. Thanks for sharing.

Simple direct and understandable..thank you.

So good to see someone who cares about their craft.

Cool

Great video. Shows great skill & knowledge

Thanks a lot from Spain!!

buenas noches maestro soy técnico afinado de pianos en Argentina por gentileza sabría decime u orientarme sobre y de que manera se enfieltra una martillera de piano excelente y muy claros sus comentarios desde ya mis respetos y muchas gracias

I never gang file hammers. I pay attention to what I'm doing and to what I have done, and my hamers look like new factory installed hammers. Frank Hanson from the NEC taught me this. Especially in very worn hammers, you need to treat each hammer individually because they have not worn equally

Absolutely brilliant! Thank you

the main advantage of Jim's method of shimming is the use of a thin sheet of veneer, which allows for minimal material removal from the pinblock hole. This can be especially useful when the hole is already worn or enlarged. The veneer can be precisely cut to fit the exact size of the hole, allowing for a more accurate repair there. On the other hand, Max's method of shimming th-cam.com/video/zoCU21OVBpg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=VjSKslvB7B6441ah using corrugated cardboard or paper offers a cost-effective solution that is easy to obtain. It can work well for many pinblock holes, and the material can be built up in layers to achieve the desired thickness. Additionally, the use of the cardboard or the paper can minimize damage to the surface of the pinblock hole. Overall, both methods have their advantages and can work well in different situations. The use of cardboard or paper may be more versatile and cost-effective, but the use of veneer may be preferable when a high level of precision is required. It is important to choose the method and materials that are appropriate for the specific piano's repair needed.

Hi Jim, I made one also, but made it for key height also. Thanks

This is a great idea! I literally replaced all of mine with the cork style 3 days ago. LOL. All of my hammers were out of the piano though which makes it much easier to clean out any debris.

Thank you very much👍🙏

Thank you so much Jim for teaching these valuable experiences.

Que buena forma de colocar las bridas ❤ exelente idea me a dado para mi piano vertical muchas gracias 🫂 por sus conocimientos

Wow, this is what i was looking for! Thank you so much for very instructive video ❤

What material are you using for the shim? Is that just wood veneer?

Buenas tardes maestro soy técnico afinado de pianos mi pregunta es la siguiente existe la posibilidad de acceder a un tutorial de enfieltrado de martillos?? Sin desecolar la cabeza del mismo desde ya muchas gracias

Alternatively, you can use a thin, curved riffle file that fits between the strings to file the hammer down where it is hitting the string(s) first. Of course, after leveling the strings.