anderson@ernie.BERKELEY.EDU (David Anderson) (10/21/85)
With respect to adjustment on piano actions: it's my experience that many action problems can be fixed without calling in a piano technician. In contrast with tuning, where it is a fine art just to twist the pins so that they stay put, action adjustments are generally mechanically straightforward and have some room for error. Also, action adjustments are unlikely to do any permanent damage to the piano. As an example, double-hitting by the hammers (more descriptively called "burbling") can often be remedied by adjusting the "let-off" (turn the little loops behind the leather straps). It helps to have a special tool for this, which is like a screwdriver with a notch at the end. Another simple case is "lost motion" in the keys, fixed by adjusting the capstans. Other problems (like uneven key height) are more complex; it helps to get hold of a book, and some tools and supplies. I have made many adjustments on my 5-year-old Yamaha upright, which I would never think of trying to tune myself. It has been very useful, particularly since most piano tuners don't like to work on actions unless there are major problems (I guess it's too time-consuming). David Anderson