tuning cost

We cannot determine this. A day of specialized work can range from €150 to €300, depending on the type of intervention. It is very subjective. However, it seems to me that if the problem depends on the center pins, then one day "on site" is not enough. To replace the center pins, the action must be taken to a workshop and disassembled. Then, one proceeds with the extraction of the center pins from the hammer rails, the escapement levers, and the jack rails. The lined holes are reamed just enough using non-conical reamers, and then the pins are replaced with ones that are one size larger. There is no other solution. Some heat the pins to extract one end outward. This is not good sense. The heat only serves to expand the pin, which in turn also expands the cashmere lining... but also the hole in the wood, which instead must remain tight and firm when the rail moves (otherwise, over time, the pin will pull out).

.... he said that he removes all friction and did a test with one key. I think I saw him using abrasive under the key, he adjusted the pilot because now the distance from the string is excessive. He will work on the rollers to give them tone again, but they are not worn out. He will increase the let-off.... and clean up the sound which at the moment is quite dirty due to various buzzes, light but annoying. Additionally, he will improve the cantabile which is currently poor due to early decay. It doesn't seem to me that he disassembled anything and since everything is new despite the years of life of the pf [pianoforte], he won't replace anything! All this plus tuning, light shaving on the mids, regulation/voicing (which he will perfect in a second session).. about 1200 €.

He is coming from about 70 km away and has estimated one full day plus a few other hours after some time.

It seems to me that he has experience and competence; it's just me being clumsy/clueless and this makes me very anxious!

I am very willing to pay whatever is necessary, even if expensive, if it equates to competence and experience, but I wouldn't want to pay for "smoke.... instead of roast" [to be cheated]. I like the idea of dusting off this pf, but the fear that a decent result won't be achieved even spending a certain amount has made me look around also at an eventual replacement of the pf, perhaps with a slightly longer grand piano...

The subject is very delicate, but if I may offer a piece of advice, I would have the quote for the interventions this technician actually wants to perform written down in black and white, because the price relative to labor alone seems objectively high to me; therefore, you will see that he actually wants to perform other interventions which, when all listed together, will have been presented to you as simple adjustments just to reassure you

Andry wrote:

The subject is very delicate, but if I may offer a piece of advice, I would have the quote for the interventions he really wants to perform written down in black and white, because the price relative to labor alone seems objectively high to me; therefore, you will see that in reality he wants to perform other interventions which, when all listed together, will have been presented to you as simple adjustments just to reassure you.

no no it's the opposite. I was pushing to change at least the hammers and he says everything is new and only needs regulating... idk!!

i would like to trust him and resolve this happily even if the figure were a little high. I wanted to do major work to restore it to new condition and avoid tuning, which I consider too delicate.... although it's true, I also see it as new.

it seems impossible to find a technician who is competent and trustworthy....

If I may, in my opinion they are mere palliatives. To speak plainly, by friction I mean the resistance that the mechanical pins offer to movement. Cleaning the rollers... yes... but that's not the crux of the matter. The cost of this type of intervention seems excessive to me. Voicing is the last thing to do. If friction persists, it must be rectified before regulation. Regulation must precede tuning. Voicing must be done after tuning. If the action is not fluid and therefore the "touch" is distorted, then the regulation is also distorted, and the voicing is also distorted. One absolutely must verify the friction of the pins regardless. ......No abrasives! And above all, no shaving!!!! let alone partial shaving!!!!! Decay must be verified after all phases. Pre-voicing must not be done on an old hammer rail. It has already been determined by the manufacturer!!!!! Only light voicing can be done. One must consider that the hammers have hardened over time.... but you cannot give them back their "youth". Deep pre-voicing means distorting the structure of the hammer, which would lose even more power. In fact, not having the elasticity of the past, it would be illusory to shift the energy towards the apex again. It would do nothing more than distance the fibers... which are now rigid, and they would not follow the movement towards the different "zones" of the hammer structure itself. You risk deafening the entire hammer rail! So proceed with caution: intervene on the high shoulders and on the cap of the hammer without altering the general timbre. Shaving the treble hammers means shifting the geometry of the action. Be careful not to "round them off". The mid-treble hammers must retain their shape, and if they are heavily grooved, the apex is often erroneously rounded off. Generally, replacing a set of center pins in the action can cost between €200 and €400. One must see if it is necessary to replace all three sets (hammers-repetition levers-escapement uprights). Then, the cost of regulation and that of tuning are generally equivalent. Voicing must be light, therefore not economically demanding.

...if you weren't here, they would have to invent you!!! Thank you, your advice is, as always, extremely precious!

I had deluded myself into thinking I had solved it... I feel like "a chicken" in many senses... it would have plucked me clean and I would have ended up with more problems than now... now I'm trying to test another one... sooner or later I have to find someone to trust..