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Topic: New purchase  (Read 2402 times)

Offline Tinkerbell

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New purchase
on: December 29, 2003, 08:47:44 PM
- Kawai K 18 E

Lovely and black and shiny and new! :) one very happy laura for xmas.  Got it on the monday 22nd or something and it is fab in my opinion!  One thing though,  a week or so later one of the keys, the 2nd F after Middle C is ......not wrong (and i know it will need tuning)  but it seems to shake?! vibrate sort of thing, not because ofk its pitch but just as though the string isnt right>?? i don't know how to explain,. it just feels different!  Maybe its nothing and I'm just being over fussy....but if anyone had any helpful info?

Thanks. Lau x

Offline wynnbear

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Re: New purchase
Reply #1 on: December 31, 2003, 01:25:03 AM
Quote
- Kawai K 18 E

One thing though,  a week or so later one of the keys, the 2nd F after Middle C is ......not wrong (and i know it will need tuning)  but it seems to shake?! vibrate sort of thing, not because ofk its pitch but just as though the string isnt right>?? i don't know how to explain,. it just feels different!  Maybe its nothing and I'm just being over fussy....but if anyone had any helpful info?

Thanks. Lau x


Couple of things come to mind.  Three strings sound for each note, and if they're very slightly out of tune with each other you may hear a "beating" from the interaction of the slightly out-of-tune unison.  

When my piano was new, I noted one note that sounded odd, metallic, almost a vibration compared to notes on either side of it.  In my case, a hammer was slightly miss-aligned and wasn't hitting all three strings simultaneously.

The initial tuning in your home should take care of an out-of-tune unison.  If it's something else, the technician should be able to take care of it easily at the time of the tuning as long as he has time to look at the problem.

Congratulations on your new beauty!
Wynne
Wynne

Offline Axtremus

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Re: New purchase
Reply #2 on: December 31, 2003, 10:51:05 PM
Congratulations on your new piano!

As WynnBear noted, a tuner/technician should be able to correct the note that sounds "slightly off." No need to worry for now -- be happy for the new piano! ;D

Offline Tinkerbell

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Re: New purchase
Reply #3 on: January 01, 2004, 08:37:10 PM
Thanku both for your replies.  Yes I certainly am enjoying my new beauty....it makes it so much easier to practise!!! The A near that F is making a similar kind of vibratory thing if i press it with much force.  as is another A.  Hopefully it is just as you say and it just needs that little bit of tuning.  There can't be anything serious wrong with it already right!?!?! (PANIC!!!!!!!  :-/)

I do love it though, being able to play so much more stuff. Entering for my grade 3 next week.  Scary though because I havent' sat any others previously, so I don't have a clue what they're like!  And i panic in exam situations.....and can't play on other pianos as well as the ones im used to!  What exams have u two done, all fabby dabby groovy and 3rd best in the country in those DipRSM thingemewhatsits!

Lau x

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: New purchase
Reply #4 on: January 01, 2004, 10:42:47 PM
Ah I see.  it's me again.  No need to worry about the new piano having anything *wrong* with it, although I totally sympanthize.  The relative humidity in your house will no doubt be different from wherever the piano was, and it will take a month or so for all the wood parts to change shape, and all the other parts to move with it.  In the meantime, there will be little buzzes and funny sounds that come and go, sometimes on a daily basis.  Schedule a first tuning for the end of the second month, and be prepared to let it settle in.  

Have fun!

Min
So much music, so little time........

Offline Tinkerbell

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Re: New purchase
Reply #5 on: January 04, 2004, 08:36:47 PM
Ok just me panicking then, so scared I'm just going to......break it or something!  Yeah I thought it had to adjust to the room temp and everything before tuning......but I didn't know it would cause the vibration things.  My last piano I bought for like £95 and it was really old and pathetic, always untuneful even when tuned, so i couldn't notice any change over the time it adjusted in my house!

Still having fun, bought a lot of music books (they're so expensive tho!)  and got a make that I love, Classics to MOderns, entire edition with 142 pieces of lovely (on the whole) classical bittedy bots.  Yum.

Lau x

Offline dinosaurtales

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Re: New purchase
Reply #6 on: January 04, 2004, 08:46:28 PM
OK then.  If this will make you feel better, this is what I did.  Don't know your climate, but the real thing to watch for is major changes in relative humidity.  You can get a cheapo gadget that displays relative humidity (humidistat?) at a department store like Target.  my relative humidity fluctuates from 40% to 45%, with ocassional spikes to 50+ in seasonal changes.  I am considering getting a permanently installed humidifier (they are expensive here - about $1200) but it will keep the humidity stable.  The technicians on the board can attest to how critical all of that is, but monitoring the relative humidity will give you an idea of waht you are dealing with.
So much music, so little time........
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