Hello, I've got a 200a and I've noticed that the top two and a half/three octaves have very little sustain. This is the case with our without using a sustain pedal. The low end rings out beautifully but things above middle c start to get worse. Any ideas on why this might be?
Also, do you have any recommendations on a tech I could use near Seattle? I don't mind having a professional look at it... If I can find one.
To a small degree this happens as the reeds get shorter, but if it is abnormal, you can try removing and cleaning a reed to see if that helps. Do not sand the reed, clean with a light oil. Especially around the mounting hole and the corresponding spot on the reed bar. Just do one and see how it sounds compared to its neighbors, before and after (record it first) be careful not to overtighten bolt when reinstalling, they are pretty easy to break.
I agree with Steveo's suggestion. You'd be surprised at the difference it makes when you remove any surface rust from where the reed mates with the harp.
If that doesn't resolve the problem you might want to see if the harp is "torqued" or twisted on it's mounting brackets. To check remove the 4 screws which hold the harp down on the frame and see if it rocks at all. If it does then you need to shim those corners to prevent it (much like when you go to a restaurant and the table tilts, you place a few beer mats under one leg to stop it.)
If the harp was torqued the mounting screws would twist the harp and prevent some notes from ringing out properly, especially on the treble side which is more sensitive.
Make sure that the upper harp has all 8 white silicone spacers below and above it. Compare with the lower harp. I've seen this a couple times as of late.
And also that the reed bar mounting screws are not over tightened... there should be a little play around those spacers, just a tiny bit.
Quote from: pianotuner steveo on July 31, 2019, 01:27:11 PM
And also that the reed bar mounting screws are not over tightened... there should be a little play around those spacers, just a tiny bit.
:::scratching my head:::
???
Can you elaborate?
Maybe it's only true on the earlier models, but I am talking about the reed bar mounting bolts that go through the white plastic insulators.
On the early models, some were black rubber