Wurlitzer 140 tuning question

[Mat Grewe]

I'm restoring a 140 and have a couple tuning questions.

• When the note is played, the tail end of the note gradually goes sharper, some reeds more than others.  This is more prevalent in the upper half of the piano.  Also, the harder the initial strike, the flatter the initial pitch of the note (again, not all reeds do this and some more than others).  Is this normal?
• The tuning stability isn't great.  It is more common in the higher register, but some notes have strayed vs the initial tuning (in addition to the tail end getting sharper from above).  I read an article where old reed screws could be the culprit.  Is it worth getting new reed screws from VV or Tropical Fish?
• There is a decent amount of temperature fluctuation in my home (only have wood heat), and I've been doing some testing and it does seem like that will change some of the tuning (not all reed however, but the upper half changes more than the lower half), sharper in the cold, flatter in the warm.  Does anyone else experience this as well?

Thanks so much,
Mat

[pianotuner steveo]

I don't think the temp will affect the reeds as far as tuning goes. That is more of an issue with stringed instruments and humidity.

Changing the Reed screws is not as easy as it seems. There may be an issue with the concave washers, but, it is easy to break the head off of an old Reed screw, plus, aligning the reeds perfectly to prevent shorts is a pain too...

You may want to experiment with just one or two before changing them all.. the washers get installed hump side up.