Showing posts with label piano tuning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label piano tuning. Show all posts

6/26/2012

Deluxe Piano Tuning Kit w/ Book / Piano Tools,book& Cd Review

Deluxe Piano Tuning Kit w/ Book / Piano Tools,bookand Cd
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I received the tuning kit, and the parts all seem to be of decent quality, although I have not yet tried them out. The book is a joke. While I expected a "how to" step by step tutorial, I got whimsical, flowery-speak gibberish that sounded like it came straight out of Elizabethan England. Nothing I could ever force myself to read, let alone use to learn a new skill. The CD made me laugh out loud. First of all, I thought it was a DVD (my fault) then saw that it was audio only-so at least I expected to be "talked through" the steps. No, it is a series of pitches throughout all registers of the piano. I have absolute pitch, so that is not what I need. If you know of a book that tells, in plain English,(not the King's)how to turn the wrench and place the mutes accurately I'd be interested in hearing from you.

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6/16/2012

Basic Piano Tuning Kit Review

Basic Piano Tuning Kit
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I purchased the sister kit to this one ( one model down with no tuning fork or case because I purchased a chromatic tuner Korg CA-40 Large Display Auto Chromatic Tuner and Korg CM-100L Clip On Contact Microphone For Tuners instead and wanted to save $$$) My kit included the same 12" Star Tip Tuning Hammer (2) 3" x 3/8" Rubber Mutes with handles (2) 4" x 1/2" Rubber Mutes, Muting Felt temperament strip 5/8"x50" Wool Strip Mute. The hammer fit solidly over the pins of a Wurlitzer upright piano and has a good feel. ( no backlash or slop when changing direction). The balance point of my hammer is the metal ring at the base of the wood handle that clamps the metal shaft into the handle. This gives the hammer good balance. Not much to say about the mutes, they work. The only thing missing from this kit in my view is a wedging device to inset the wool strip mute in between the strings. My tuning book says to gently use a flat blade screwdriver to chink the felt in between notes but I recommend you pick up a 1" wide plastic drywall taping knife or spatula from your local hardware store which is softer, thinner an thus less likely to cause damage. Bon Tool 18-409-B0 Straight Plastic Knives, Width: 1 1/2"
In summary - Kit contains all you really need ( except a good ear) to bring a few notes back in into tune.
And remember slow and gentle and never turn the handle more than 1/16 of a turn in any one motion.

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5/28/2012

Grover-Trophy Pitchpipe Piano Tuning Hammers Star Head Review

Grover-Trophy Pitchpipe Piano Tuning Hammers Star Head
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Okay, he couldn't have been...must have been one of those European-made pianos with non-standard-sized pegs.
No. He's right. This tuner doesn't fit: loose on some pegs, not even close on others. From looking at the star head, it appears that some of the points are rounded off while others aren't; this may be why the tuner fits on some pegs and not others, depending on their orientation.
The wooden handle was also split two inches back from the ferrule.
All around, this is not a well made tool and I would not recommend that you take a chance on it.
On the other hand, the merchant, WWBW, is outstanding and very helpful. Their handling of my complaint was above reproach. I will do business with them in the future.
UPDATE: I exchanged this tuner for a square-ended one. It works acceptably, but still slips some on a few of the pegs. I won't complain, however, since the square-end hammer does get the job done.

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5/20/2012

Grover-Trophy Piano Tuning Hammers (Square Head) Review

Grover-Trophy Piano Tuning Hammers (Square Head)
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First of all, if you don't know how to tune a piano, STOP NOW! Without proper knowledge of how to manipulate a tuning lever, it's very easy for you to mess up the tuning, and even worse, you may break the string, loosen the tuning pin, or whatever. When you call a professional piano technician to fix the problem, you'd have to pay a lot more than usual fee for a tuning, because you've made his or her job more complicated.
Besides, with the square head of this tuning lever, it's very hard to set the lever on the tuning pin at good angle to manipulate it well. You need a star tip at least.
If you really want to tune your piano, learn how to do it correctly first. One good place to get information about piano tuning is the Piano Technicians Guild (ptg.org). Take good care of your piano.

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5/19/2012

Professional Piano Tuning Kit Review

Professional Piano Tuning Kit
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The tuning lever appears to be a cheap imitation of one of the better brands. The star tip stripped out almost immediately because it is a poor quality metal that is chrome plated. Better ones use hardened steel. The tapering also was not done correctly. While it seems like a bargain, spend a few more dollars and go with a Schaff-Hale or similar brand. Except for the tuning fork, felt and mutes, this kit is a waste of money.

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5/07/2012

Apprentice Piano Tuning Hammer & Mutes Kit Review

Apprentice Piano Tuning Hammer and Mutes Kit
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They shipped the item out right away and I got it a couple days after ordering. Fast.
The product gave the little Wurlitzer spinet piano I grew up with a new life. It sat for the last four decades at my parents house neglected.
When they moved to a retirment home it came back to me. I put off tuning it for awhile as it was a bit hard to look at.
I finally got around to it and the kit changed the instrument into one I no longer recognize. It sounds so beautiful now that it brings tears to my eyes. Mom would surely have felt the same.
I was very careful to bring the piano up in stages to reduce shock. The kit worked just fine combined with an iPhone app, (cleartune), and was just what I needed. Since the piano needs several touch-ups, doing it myself was the only way to go.
I'm sure glad I did.
Thank you.
J.P.

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9/11/2011

Peterson VS-F StroboFlip Virtual Strobe Tuner Review

Peterson VS-F StroboFlip Virtual Strobe Tuner
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This is a great tuner. I wouldn't buy it to use on stage or in any playing situation, but doing intonation work as a guitar tech it works flawlessly. I run the Guitar Repair Institute and this little device is standard issue for every student that walks through our door.

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8/14/2011

Korg OT-120 Wide 8 Octave Chromatic Orchestral Tuner Review

Korg OT-120 Wide 8 Octave Chromatic Orchestral Tuner
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I purchased this for tuning my violin and piano, assuming it would do a great job on the violin (it does) but was wary of how it would work on the piano. I had been using a Peterson Virtual Stobe tuner for years, using standard piano-tuning techniques and equipment, and preferred tuning to a strobe rather than to a needle or LEDs. But battery leakage had put my VS out of commission. With the Peterson VS having its own imperfections, and a new one now running 3-4 times the cost of the Korg OT-120, I decided to give the Korg a try. (I also purchased the clip mike just in case its built-in mike balked at some of the overtones on my older piano.) I now use the Korg OT-120 regularly, not only to tune my piano and violin, but also as a practicing aid for the violin. It's very responsive and useful in verifying that I'm hitting pitch. After a few months of use I can say that the Korg OT-120 has exceeded my expectations for ease-of-use, value, and effectiveness for tuning my violin and piano, and for practice (strings). The tone generator is useful for ear training as well as for tuning. The display is smaller than I'm used to on the Peterson, but then again the Korg is much more portable. The clip microphone has come in handy for tuning some of the trickier strings at the lower and higher octaves, but I don't need to use it very often. Although I prefer the strobe for how it linearly visualizes pitch adjustment, it took less than half a tuning session to re-adapt to a needle/LED style display. Note: The Peterson has a larger number of tuning temperments than the Korg, so if you're tuning for early music make sure to review the temperments available on the Korg before buying. Nor can you store custom temperments on it.

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Tune string and wind instruments in a flash with the OT-120, a new band and orchestral tuner that combines the accuracy of needle-type meters with superior functionality, wide tuning range and a new, sleek vertical design.

Vertical Design and Superior Visibility The Korg OT-120 chromatic band and orchestral tuner is intended for orchestral instruments, packing precise performance and sophisticated functionality in a vertical design that's easy to hold and operate. The Korg OT-120 features a dual-display, an easy-to-see needle-type indicator and a backlit LCD screen that shows the battery life, sound output level, calibration, as well as key and note name. Additional design features include a large dial that makes it easy to select the desired mode, soft-touch buttons and a rear-mounted stand that lets the band and orchestral tuner stand by itself. A sophisticated silver aluminum panel contributes to its sleek, new look.
Accurately Tune Orchestral Instruments Over a Wide Range Since we developed the world's first meter-type tuner in 1975, the accuracy of Korg tuners has made them the choice of artists in all styles of music. With its wide tuning range extending from A0 to C8, the OT-120 lets you quickly tune any type of band instrument including, orchestra, wind, string, brass or piano. The Korg OT-120 also provides a wide range of calibration to support concert pitches in a range of 349-499 Hz (1 Hz steps).
Smooth and Precise Tuning This band and orchestral tuner uses a high-precision needle-type meter to accurately indicate any pitch discrepancy. The speed at which the needle responds to the input can be changed over a range of three steps; you can choose fast, medium or slow speeds to match your tuning preference.
You can also choose from two tuning modes; Auto mode, which automatically detects the pitch of a single note you play on your instrument, or Manual mode, which lets you specify the desired note name. In Manual mode, the needle movement is shown in a range of 50 cents, letting you view the tuning discrepancy over a wide range. In addition to the excellent visibility unique to a needle-type meter, the LEDs located below the meter also indicate pitch deviation or a perfect match, making precise tuning easy even in dim locations.
Sound Back Mode for Tuning String or Wind Instruments The OT-120 produces a reference tone in a five-octave range extending from C2 (65.41 Hz) to C7 (2093 Hz). You can switch the output level in two stages. The large speaker allows for more volume while not being obstructed even when using the stand, ensuring that the reference tone is clearly audible.
The OT-120 also provides Korg's proprietary Sound Back mode. This mode lets you connect an optional CM-100L contact microphone to the input jack, and automatically make the OT-120's speaker produce a reference tone for the note that is closest to the input pitch you play on your instrument. The meter will also indicate the input pitch, letting you tune using your eyes as well as your ears for greater accuracy--and also providing a great way to train your sense of pitch.
Support for Transposing Instruments and Historical Temperaments For conveniently tuning any wind instrument, twelve types of transposing keys are provided in this band and orchestral tuner, including both sharps and flats. The Multi Temperament function provides eight presets that cover the most popular historical temperaments often used with period instruments. These are also ideal for checking unique temperaments used in classical music.
Long Battery Life The OT-120 is designed for an extended battery life of approximately 100 hours when running on two AAA batteries. It can also be used with an AC adaptor (sold separately).
Soft Case Included A durable, suede-tone soft case is included. Korg band and orchestral tuners purchased from a Korg USA authorized dealer now have a three year warranty.
What's in the Box Korg OT-120 Orchestral Tuner, Soft Case, Two AAA Batteries, Owner's Manual

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8/07/2011

Korg CM-100L Clip On Contact Microphone For Tuners Review

Korg CM-100L Clip On Contact Microphone For Tuners
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I have recently decided to attempt to tune my own piano, so I did some research and found out that the Korg CM-100 Tuner Clip was a necessity. No matter where I attach the tuner clip on my piano it picks up a clear signal and sends it to my Korg Chromatic Tuner. This product has made it very easy to tune my piano now and I never have to hire out to a professional again. The Korg CM-100 Tuner Clip along with the Korg Chromatic Tuner is a perfect combination to tune any instrument. As a music teacher, I highly recommend it.

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The CM-100L Contact Microphone is a perfect compliment to any tuner that offers an audio input jack. The mic can be positioned to get a more sensitive measurement, while allowing the tuner to be positioned for easier reading.

The clip style mic is ideally suited for clipping on to the body of an instrument to pick up the tuning note directly with minimal interference from ambient sound. It can be easily clipped on to the bell of a trumpet or the headstock of a guitar, for example.
Tuning via microphone can be convenient for accurate tuning in noisy environments, and the CM-100L also lets you access Korg's Sound Back mode (available on some models), which produces a reference tone closest to the input pitch you play on your instrument.
The CM-100L jack is a 1/4-inch male phone connector.
What's in the Box CM-100L Contact Microphone

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