Schimmel upright piano keyboard lightening

Frictions should be resolved first (in the laboratory and not at home with lubricants). Then one can proceed to an adjustment on the instrument. If the balancing has never been touched, I doubt it needs to be done.

Maurizio,

The problems could be of various natures. The piano certainly lacks regulation, but as Francesco said, the friction of the pins in the entire action must first be checked, which definitely need to be replaced. This is not a job to be done at home. The dampers must be checked. The fact that they do not dampen may depend on a bad pedal regulation or an excessive readiness of each one. Once these problems are fixed, the keyboard balance can be checked, which, however, will surely be fine. Avoid weighting the keys beforehand (forward or backward from the pivot) thinking you are lightening them!!!! You only increase the mass, also compromising the hammer return!!!!! Absolutely do not use lubricants, except for DRY TEFLON lubricant (never greasy lubricants!!). But this is only an aid for some mechanical parts. Therefore, do not think of solving it by weighting or lubricating. (let's hope that, against common sense, it hasn't already been done!)

It is true that Schimmel loads the damper springs quite heavily, which, compared to other brands, result in being slightly more consistent upon key depression, but this should not be an impediment. Also check the pins of the damper action!.

It is evident that these things you are finding have to do with the price. The Schimmel is a high-quality piano, but expensive. If it was sold at a advantageous price, it probably needs to be overhauled and some work must be done (by an expert!). For example, the action pins must be replaced with larger ones, and the gasketed holes must be reamed with non-conical reamers. The friction coefficients must be respected (both regarding the hammer wippens, those of the jacks, those of the escapement levers....and also the damper action). The sum of these determines whether the action functions well or poorly, from which one can then demand—once these frictions are checked and following good regulation—the pianissimo, smoothness, repeated notes, etc.

P.S. The smoothness of the keys must also be checked. If the bushings are dirty or hardened, the key may descend seemingly correctly, but as the pianist strikes it with a slight lateral movement, it jams in its descent, causing difficulty and unevenness. The cashmere bushings of the front and central key slots must be checked and eventually replaced with first-quality cashmere. The pins must also be checked. If oxidized, they absolutely must be replaced, otherwise the wear on the new bushings will accelerate. (or perhaps just a regulation might be sufficient!) Everything needs to be seen, checked, and evaluated. Let me know

Regards

Paolo

P.S. Watch my video tutorials, in which I speak about these topics