Brand new pianos and tuning

[dinosaurtales]

Well I got my new piano yesterday!  WOW!  What fun!  But (and I have been warned about this by everyone that has everygotten a new piano) there are a couple of notes that have just today developed minor tuning buzzes or twangs.  Are there any tehnicians or EXPERIENCED piano owners who know if I should call this in and get these things fixed as they occur, or should I wait a couple of weeks and collect them all and have them all fixed at once?  What's best for the piano?

[benthepianoboy]

you need to sit and let your piano aclimate to your house. If you get it tuned and get all the buzzes out right now then they will just come back in a week or so. Let the piano sit for about a month.

[dinosaurtales]

I suspect you are right.  I just need to be patient.  The note that had the buzz in it last night is fine today!  What a crack-up!  These things really do move around when they acclimate, don't they?

[tosca1]

Hi there,
I hope you are really enjoying that beautiful new piano despite the tuning problems as it settles in its new home.  The dealer who supplied you the piano should give you at least two complimentary tunings and in the first year your piano may require up to four or five tunings.  A piano that is kept well tuned in its first year will be more stable for the rest of its life  and in subequent tunings the tuner can achieve a more refined result.  

Let it get used to its new environment for a couple of weeks and then have it tuned.

My experience has been that a grand piano is affected by the season changes and temperature and humidity fluctuations more than an upright piano possibly because of the greater area of  the soundboard and  the rim.

Best wishes,
Robert.

PS More good news is that your piano will sound better and better the more you play it.  The voice of the instrument should improve over a period of at least five years.

[amee]

DinosaurTales,
About the buzz, sometimes when I play with the lid down on my piano I get buzzes on certain notes as well.  The sound clears up as soon as I raise the lid.  Weird, huh?

[dinosaurtales]

Interesting notion about the lid - lifting it definitely affects the sound - and seems to change the notes that buzz!  WEIRD!  It's also better in the daytime than at night.  The only thing I can think of that's different is that the blinds are drawn in the daytime when it's sunny out.

[tosca1]

Would it just be a "sympathetic" vibration that you get when two wood surfaces touch each other lightly?  Opening the lid will also change the sound quality and allows the sound to open out in the room.  The piano may sound a little different in its new home from what it sounded in the showroom because of  the different acoustic dynamic.
It's fun making friends with your new piano.
Robert.

[rachfan]

Dino,

Take a close look at the two lid hinges over on the left side of the piano.  They are different according to the maker, and I'm not sure what Fazioli's looks like.  But here's why I mention it: On my Baldwin the hinges are simple brass L-shaped pins that secure the lid to the rim. Each pin passes through the center of its stationary hinge mechanism, like the much larger pin that is typically inserted into the core of an ordinary door hinge in the home--the exact same principle, except that where a door hinge is mounted vertically, a piano lid hinge is horizontal. My Baldwin pins each have a rubber tip at the end of the short part of the L.  The more times I lift the lid, the more the friction of doing so causes the pin to shift inside the hinge, such that eventually the small part of the L with the rubber tip, instead remaining flush with the rim and pointing nearly down toward the floor, twists and becomes horizontal pointing at the wall instead.  At that point I get a buzz in the piano!  Who knows why.   Having figured out what it is, I just get up, press down on both rubber tips to set them flush with the rim again.  Like magic, the buzz dutifully disappears every time.  This happens once every few months or so.  If you have similar lid hinge pins, try doing what I mention here and see if you have a sudden solution to the buzz.  Good luck!  

[dinosaurtales]

Hm. Interesting.  Mine seems to have the same gizmo.  The L pieces are uniformly pointing down now, but I will keep an eye on them.  You guys are probalby onto something - the buzz definitely changes depending on the time of day, and whether the lid is up or down.  Goofy thing.  I am also suspecting room accoustics - the room it's in is REALLY live - granite floors, and a lot of glass.  We have been experimenting with rugs and *drapes* to see what works best.  Trouble is, I don't know nuthin about accoustics.

[TwinkleFingers]

whats the make
size
model number
serial number(just kidding)

Im glad you like it. IM getting a new pearl river grand in a week and Im nervous about the quality of these pianos. Its the gp142.  I really loved the demo I played and will get to try the actual one before I buy it when it comes in.  In the meantime my nails are kind of rugged!!!LOL  
PS LINK TO THE PICTURE OF PEARL RIVER GP142 IS BELOW EVERY POST I MAKE ITS THE SECOND LINK NOT THE FIRST ONE WHICH IS A MUGSHOT OF ME.

[wynnbear]

Another weird thing --- I just got a new (nice quality House of Troy) piano lamp to go with my new piano, and the bulbs sympathetically vibrate to the D two octaves below middle C.  I have to try and pick-up a replacement set of bulbs to see if I can "cure" this.

I also had a treble note that had an internal buzz (from the piano itself), but my tech fixed it.  The hammer on that note had a slightly odd shape and was not striking all three strings simultaneously.

I'd give the new piano about 4 weeks to adjust to your house before calling in the tech, if it were me.