Action problem - hammers not checking properly

[richard w]

I have an upright Steingraeber piano with a Yamaha action. (I couldn't really accommodate a grand). I found the action a bit light, and so some weight was added to the keys. Mostly as a consequence of this weight (and perhaps a bit because it is due for a thorough regulation) very light playing tends to result in the hammers not checking properly, and sometimes they rebound into the strings - not the most desirable effect during pianissimo passages.

I'm suspicious that adjustments could be made in the action to 'balance' it better with the additional weight on the key. I'm also suspicious that such work was not carried out at the time that the weights were added. Those are my suspicions. Am I right in thinking the action could be regulated to get rid of the problem, and does anyone know how?

Thanks for any replies.


Richard.

[wynnbear]

Bobbling hammers, double striking, etc. is definitely a regulation issue.  Did a tech add weight to the keys without regulating the action?  If so, I'd say this was an incomplete job.  Changing the weighting of the keys would affect regulation and adjustments should have been made at the same time. 

Frankly, I'm surprised that a tech would add weight to the keys as a first step.  I'd have thought that checking regulation and perhaps adjusting action geometry and spring tension would have been tried first to solve your complaint of light touch.

Now, I'm curious, how did you happen to get a Steingraeber with a Yamaha action?  That's sort of like a Rolls-Royce with a Volkswagen transmission.  It might work, but who'd want to do that to a Rolls (I mean Steingraeber!)?

[chickering9]

There was a pretty good discussion about checking in the Piano Technicians Guild forum last month.  If you go to:

https://www.ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech/2004-November/subject.html

you will find the discussion under the topic "About Checking".