Hello, could someone tell me what the main causes are of hammers touching twice (not in an obvious way but still disturbing)? It happens with some hammers when playing pianissimo. I have heard that it could be resolved by loosening the jack springs. But how exactly is that done? Or could it be something else? The escapement is 1 mm from the string. Obviously, if they move it further away the problem improves, but I don't think that is the right way. Thank you
It is a 1980 Chickering that has also been restored in the action. I do not know the factory-recommended distances and over the years I have proceeded by trial and error. Now it plays very well, aside from some small problems like this one. Some hammers bounce ) not much, but at this point I would like to make them perfect
Dear enricofabio, the issue depends on the fact that the aftertouch is insufficient. You must recheck the hammer-to-string distance at rest. The hammer rest felt, if it is a grand piano, must not touch the jacks (the jacks must be suspended about 3 mm from the felt). The hammer-to-string distance can be no less than 45mm. Once the escapement point is determined, you will see how many mm are needed for the aftertouch... certainly more than what it is now. Adjust between 9.8 and 10.3 mm. In short, there must be a proportion between the aftertouch and the hammer-to-string distance.
For the upright, the hammers must instead rest on the felt - hammer rest - and the escapement lever must enter and exit the capstan freely, but without excessive play. The springs must be adjusted so that the hammer rises decisively but without bouncing.
thanks piano expert. it was indeed what you were talking about. Not knowing the specifications of this piano (I couldn't find anything online for a three-quarter Chickering) I made various attempts to understand at what distance the piano performs best. I found in some writings that the ratio between depth and string distance should be 1 to 4.9. In reality, it sounds very good to me with a depth of 10.5 and a distance of 49. On the highs, I like to bring them a few millimeters closer. What do you think? is this a correct procedure.
