Erard Type 0 tuning and maintenance

[Phiphi]

Hello,

I've just bought a 1912 Erard 0 (photos to be posted soon on the forum). I will have it tuned in a few weeks after it settles at home.

I am looking for a tuner/technician in the North London - South Essex region who would be keen to work on this piano. It is overstrung, but still fitted with the traditionnal Erard action. The action needs a bit of attention as some keys became noisy, due to excessive wear. I know that wear can be corrected up to a point by tuning to "close the gaps". However, leathers may needs to be replaced if they are too tired.

So, if anybody knows of a good technician who could first look at the piano, please let mr know.

[Colin Nicholson]

Hi there

You may find that general 'noises' such as clicking/ rattling noises etc are rarely caused by the general wearing of parts of the action (when the front board is on & lid closed).... but sometimes caused by metal objects (eg coins, staples, pins) falling between the keys. A few weeks ago, I heard an irritating clicking noise when tuning - checked the hammer, lever etc.... and fine, but when I removed the key.... it was a plastic circular disc to mark a bingo card!!! - it had managed to lodge itself under the key and resting on the front rail baize washer.

A piano needing some adjustment & small repairs may not be incorporated into a tuning as such.... this is usually carried out as a separate task. The adjustment/ alignment of the parts (to remove gaps) comes under the heading Regulation. Anything worn away (leather) comes under the heading of Refurbishment [or sometimes Repair] - even though nothing is broken.

To make other adjustments in Regulation, occasionally set-off button screws and key capstan threads become seized up/ corroded, with small build-ups of rust.... so if you are considering a refurb., (assuming the piano is upright), then the bridle tapes will also need to be replaced in order to replace the worn leathers.

Have a look on-line or in the Yellow Pages.... there should be plenty tuners out there willing to give you a quote for your requirements.

[Phiphi]

Thank you for your reply. And I know now that "regulation" is about tuning the action. I start to be a bit more up-to-date with the English piano vocabulary.

Do all tuners also do regulation, or is it rather done by technicians doing repairs ? I guess that the answer will be that some tuners are qualified for regulation and some aren't.

My plan is to have it tuned next month, and to speak of regulation with the tuner. If he/she can do it, It's OK. If the action wear is beyond regulation, I'll probably have to wait for a few month, because I guess that refurbishment of the action isn't free.

Also, I said in my previous post that I need to find someone who's not afraid of Erard's action, as it is different to the usual Renner/Abel/Schwander.

[Colin Nicholson]

Depending on how good a pianist you are, if a reasonably good pianist - then a well 'regulated' and serviced mechanism is essential. Over several years of a piano being played, felt/leather/cloth/baize/ paper washers etc become compressed or indented by wooden or metal parts.... creating unwanted 'slack' and 'play'.... so by either turning adjustment screws, bending wires. tensioning springs, adding or subtracting paper washers (under keys) etc.... this will bring the mechanism back into regulation. Quick rapid playing of scales, ornaments (such as trills) can be played much more easily if the mech. is adjusted right.

I would imagine that nearly all piano tuners can regulate a piano.... its part of the job, rather like a car garage carrying out an MOT, then being able to service and/or repair any faults on the car aswell, so its to the benefit of the mechanic.

I know of some tuners who prefer just the 'tuning' side because some regulation jobs on old pianos cannot easily be done accurately if there are seized parts. If you see a piano tuner in an ad that also carries out repairs/ restoration & repairs, then they will be fully knowledgeable about regulation.... but its always a good idea to ask.

If the piano is badly out of regulation, this can affect a tuning. For example, if hammers are poorly aligned with their strings - and a few treble hammers are missing one of the three strings (tri-chord), then in order to tune a 'note' successfully, the hammers should be adjusted. Occasionally though, damp conditions cause parts to swell & warp, so this can cause further problems.

It would be interesting to see a photo of the action (with front board removed).... but I doubt any tuner would be afraid of the action.... most piano mechanisms work on the same principle.

Hope it all goes well.....

[NewAge]

Phiphi,
I recall reading your piano search on Pianomajeur and seeing the piano as it appeared in the ad. Looks pretty good, and once tuned and well regulated hope you get plenty of enjoyment from it.
In any case it should perform and sound a lot cleaner than your Guillot 'ragtime' piano.
Without the accents I'd guessed too that your Pianomajeur posts were with a Qwerty keyboard as opposed to an Azerty - it's just as well that piano keyboards in France, England and elsewhere don't have that same annoying differences!
If you can post pictures of your Erard, I know of at least one person who will be delighted to see
it. Namely "PianoLove"

[Phiphi]

Without the accents I'd guessed too that your Pianomajeur posts were with a Qwerty keyboard as opposed to an Azerty.

Having spent 14 years in England, I am now used to QWERTY. I need to bring my wine here, but I can survive without AZERTY.

If you can post pictures of your Erard, I know of at least one person who will be delighted to see
it. Namely "PianoLove"

Et voila !

[Bob Pierce]

Try George Dumirtiu 07802558542

[joseph]

sweet looking piano. I love old pianos - not for heavy practice but for an interesting and sweet tone! Love it.