STAY TUNED

STAY TUNED !
The Official Newsletter of the Piano Technicians Guild
Las Vegas Chapter #891
Volume No. 9 October 2009 Issue No. 10

CHAPTER NEWS
Next Meeting: TBA
Time:
Place:

October 26, 2009

Greetings members and friends,

Thanks to everyone who attended the last meeting at Family Music Center. If you didn’t make it to this one then don’t miss the next meeting because they’re getting dangerously exciting. The folks at Family music really went out of their way to make our chapter event run smooth. Thanks go out for their hospitality!

The meetings discussions involved the selection of our host chapter 2010 convention pin and some of our other roles in the event. I have recently emailed everyone a picture with two choices of pins for you to vote on and select the one YOU think is best suited for the occasion. I have received 5 votes so far. So any member that wants to have your choice heard please email me and give me your decision. Rob Goodale has offered the UNLV C7 to be part of Andre Oorbeek’s voicing class at the 2010. If the PTG institute can use this piano as part of his large class (140 + attendee’s) than there will be some chapter meetings involving this instrument to prepare it. Repairs like key bushings, string replacing or even polyester repair can not only make the piano ready for this top notch class but also help provide the university with a refurbished studio instrument in their recording studio and give our members some knowledge in the process. I’ll get conformation on this as soon as possible.

The technical at the meeting involved a Schaffer & Son console that needed pitch raise, tuning, regulating and voicing. I took care of the tuning before the meeting so I could focus on the hammers. Hard as rocks and unyielding to decent tone production. Some regulating was done by members between slices of pizza. My approach to the voicing in this particular case was to use steam to loosen the grip of the ironed and treated hammer felt. My example was if the piano was placed in a small room with low ceilings and no furniture… basically a raw acoustic environment. With a damp cloth, a hammer iron and action in the bench stands two passes were made. After the first pass the action was installed with a good degree of change but still uneven so another pass of light steam on the shoulders and just a touch on the strike points were made. Some needling was required to smooth out the overall tone performance and the little Schaffer had a pleasant strike with almost colorful tonal response. Howard from Family Music played the before and after and was pleased with the results and said he would have to increase the sale price now. This demonstration was a basic voicing which provided knowledge to someone who can try this procedure on hard and nasty hammers for clients in a short time with positive results. Or course, hammer filing and proper needling and string to hammer mating should always be the course whenever subtle changes are made. That’s another meeting technical.

High five’s go out to our Chapter Treasurer Paul Milkie! He has been busy with the IRS establishing our Chapter with the IRS as we have to file every year in our non profit status. The 990N. He will be filing the proper figures for the previous year numbers (as required) and then we will proceed annually to file the epostcard 990N. Thanks Paul for dealing with our Chapter issues. Whenever I hear the letters IRS I roll my eyes into my head and glaze my hearing altogether so I can only hear some La La La song in my head. You are an asset to our chapter health.

Anyone with a technical to present please contact me with the information and I will organize the next meeting to your needs.

SEE YOU AT THE NEXT MEETING!!!

David Chadwick RPT
Chapter President
Las Vegas Chapter 891
Piano Technicians Guild
chadwick61@cox.net
702-368-4408 home/office
702-205-6264 cell

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