Good morning, I have a Petrof upright piano. On the 30th key, which is the first from the left to have strings inclined upwards to the right, I noticed that the bridge touches the underlying string guide (positioned higher to make room for the one on the 29th key) a moment before reaching the strings. This causes a very dirty sound. I think the only solution is to trim the bottom of the bridge, without altering the profile of the part that strikes the strings, to leave space for the string guide. Is this correct? If so, how can I thin the side of the hammer? Is there a better way to avoid the problem?
I'm sorry, I can't quite understand the problem from your terminology. Perhaps you mean that the hammer hits the damper before striking the string... if so, you need to adjust the damper slightly higher. It is a small job but one must know how to do it, otherwise the sound does not dampen completely. It is a difficult point because there is little space for dampening. Sometimes at that exact point, the sound dampening is not perfect... especially in upright pianos. It needs to be seen in person. Your technician will fix it during the next tuning. You would want to file the hammer.... but that is the last resort. If the hammer rail has not been replaced, the manufacturer has certainly provided the necessary space. I advise against filing the lower felt of the hammer. There is definitely a solution.
