Re-weight action in upright?

[amanfang]

Is it possible to re-weight the action in an upright piano?  I have been practicing on a Steinway grand with a much heavier action, and when I come home, I play on my Yamaha upright and feel like I have much less control over the sound because it is so light.  How much would something like that cost?  Is it worth it to do?

[Bob]

Might be cheaper to buy a brand new piano.  $10,000+

I think something like that would cost at least $2-3K, if not 5-7.  I think it would depend how worthwhile the upright is, if you want to invest that in it.

I'm just guessing.  I knew a piano tech for awhile and sometime people would have that old upright completely redone and it would end up costing more than a new upright.

I am fairly certain they can alter the weights and feel of the piano to some extent though.

[amanfang]

If it's that much, then it's totally not worth it.  Hmm...  Guess I will eventually trade it in.  It's in pretty good shape.  My great-grandmother who is 101 has a wurlitzer baby grand.  Hasn't been tuned in probably 20 years, but the case is still in really good condition.  (My grandparents are trying to sell it for $10,000 - hahaha).  Maybe if I "inherit" it (since they certainly won't be able to sell it), I can trade both in plus pay some more and get a grand.  Eventually.

[ptmidwest]

Bob, I think you may have overestimated the cost of having the upright's keys weighted.

Depending on the technician and the area you live in, it can be as little as 2 to 3 hundred dollars...Some pianos are not well-suited for this, though many are.  Only your piano man can tell you for sure.

To have a good  piano tuner/technician--who has a wealth of experience--who is honest and capable....now THAT's worth millions. 

[arensky]

You can do this yourself; get the weights from a tuner supply store, remove the keys and LIGHTLY hammer the weights into the back of the keys. Number the keys first, so they don't get out of order. This will provide more resistance, although it will not turn your Yamaha upright into a Steinway grand.
It worked for my Baldwin Hamilton upright.

[Bob]

I'm not an expert.  It's out of my area.  Those were just the prices I had heard when major work was being done -- that being ripping out the keyboard and redoing each key.

At least call a piano technician.  They will have a better idea.  Get a free estimate.

There may be ways to cut costs.  I think the piano tech charged to drive out and pick up materials.  You might be able to bring in the keyboard "guts" yourself or offer to help out on the menial things -- measuring and adding 88+ weights.

[richard black]

when I come home, I play on my Yamaha upright and feel like I have much less control over the sound because it is so light.

So learning to control it will be good for your technique! You're hammering the keys - learn to pull them down. You should be consciously controlling speed, not pressure.

[amanfang]

Oh come on.  Surely you understand how frustrating it is to learn the motions necessary to get the sound you want, and then when you switch to a different piano with a totally different feel, things don't work the same.  Sure I can change what I'm doing, but why would I want to do that when I really don't practice much on this instrument?
And it's not just speed, I'm also talking about voicing nuances that are different. 

[richard black]

Surely you understand how frustrating it is to learn the motions necessary to get the sound you want, and then when you switch to a different piano with a totally different feel, things don't work the same.

Yes, absolutely. That's why, on the advice of a very wise friend, I forced myself to adjust my whole approach to playing so that I'm damn nearly unaware of the weight of keys under my fingers. Didn't even take me all that long. I sometimes _become_ aware of it when I find I'm physically tired after a few hours on a particular piano, but that generally takes most of a working day to happen and isn't a big problem. Extremely heavy actions (I mean, like really worn out ones, typically) excepted...

[daniloperusina]

Actually, it's both simple and complex!

The whole mecanism that throws the hammer to the string, and lifts the damper, weighs quite a lot.
The reason it does is because of the weight of things, the friction involved, and various leverarms.

The key you press is a lever, longer at the part towards you, and shorter at the back. There is a pin that the key pivots around. (sorry if my technical english is wrong!). That is the reason why a little movement of your finger causes a quite violent force in the hammer.

Now, a skillfull technician will consider all things involved, and create as heavy or light action as you want, but there are a lot of things that need to work together.

If you take out a key and look, you will find lead weights attached. They have been put there to balance off the weight. Different amounts of lead for each key.

Arensky said you could attach more leads yourself, at the back of the key. I suppose you could. I also think that a pianotech should be able to help for less than a fortune! You could get a higher or lower degree of quality work, of course. The price quoted above sounds like a total rebuild, including new parts and a lot more than just weighing off the keys!

If you call some techs, maybe you'll get different quotes. I think this mainly will depend on the fact that some of them want to do a proper job of it, while others will do a simple trick or two that they know. Like adding more leads to the back...

[daniloperusina]

By the way, you can do a simple experiment:

Place some coins that you know the weight of on a white key. How many do you need to make the key slowly sink?

One of the coins here weighs 7gr. So, if seven of them(49gr) is enough, it's a bit light. If nine are needed (63gr) it's a bit heavy. Standard is about 55gr. So, in my case, eight coins would be like ideal...

Check both pianos!