• August Förster
  Mfg. in Germany
• Baldwin
  owned subsidiary of Gibson Guitar Corp.
  Names used: Baldwin, Acrosonic, Hamilton, Classic, Chickering, Wurlitzer, ConcertMaster,
  No longer used: D.H. Baldwin, Kranich & Bach, Howard, Ellington, Monarch
• Bechstein
  German piano mfg.  -  American office in New York City  -  In Dec. 2006, C. Bechstein re-acquired full ownership and distribution in America from Samick.   Bechstein America, LLC.
  Names used currently:  C. Bechstein,  W. Hoffmann 
• Blüthner
  London, England piano company
• Bösendorfer
  Austrian piano manufacturer, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha.
• Boston
  Designed by Steinway Musical Properties
  Mfg. by Kawai Musical Instrument Mfg. Co. Ltd. Hamamatsu, Japan
• Chavanne
  French piano
• Dongbei Piano Co., Ltd.,
  Third largest piano producer in China
  Owned by Gibson Guitar ( Baldwin Piano Co.)
• Essex
  Designed by Steinway
  Mfg. by Young Chang
  
• Estonia
  European piano mfg. in Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
• Fandrich & Sons Pianos
  Pianos imported from China and rebuilt in Stanwood, Washington as Fandrich & Sons Pianos
• Fandrich Piano Co.
  Centralia, Washington piano company
• Fazioli
  Mfg. in Sacile, Italy
• Feurich
  Mfg. in Germany
• Haessler
  Mfg. by Blüthner
• Hallet & Davis
  Mfg. by Dongbei Piano Co., China
  
• IBach
  Pianos mfg. by Daewoo Electronics, Yeoju, South Korea, Rud. Ibach Sohn, Schwelm, Germany
  No longer being sold in the US
• Irmler
  Mfg. by Blüthner
• Kawai
  Mfg. in Japan
• Mason & Hamlin Co.
  Mfg. in Haverhill, Massachusetts
  
• Overs Piano
  Mfg. in Australia
• Petrof
  Mfg. in Prague,Czech Republic
• Pleyel & Co.
  Mfg. in France
• Pramberger
  Korean piano mfg. by Samick / Young Chang
• Ridgewood
  Distributed by Weber ~ Probably manufactured by Dongbei Piano Co, China,
  
• Royale Piano Co.
  Korean Piano Co.
• Samick Piano Co.
  Manufacturing sites in Korea & Indonesia
  Manufacturers of: Kohler & Campbell, Pramberger, Sohmer & Co., Wm. Knabe & Co., Conover Cable
  Recently acquired: Seiler Piano.
  
• Schimmel
  Manufactured in Braunschweig, Germany
• Schulze Pollmann
  Mfg. in Turin, Italy
  
• Seiler
  Mfg. in Germany, recently acquired by Samick
  
• Shigeru-Kawai
  Mfg. by Kawai
• Steingraeber & Söhne
  Mfg. in Bayreuth, Germany
  
• Steinway & Sons
  Mfg. in New York & Hamburg, Germany
  
• Story & Clark
  Names used: Story & Clark, Hobart M. Cable, no longer used: Classic, Lowrey, Hampton
  
• Stuart Piano Co.
  Mfg. in Australia
• Suzuki
• Walter, Charles R.
  Names used: Charles R. Walter, Janssen
  
• Weber
  Mfg. by Young Chang
  Names used: Weber, Sagenhaft
  
• Welmar Pianos
  Mfg. in England
• Wurlitzer
  Mfg. by Baldwin
  Names used: Wurlitzer, J & C Fischer; No longer used: Rudolph Wurlitzer, Chickering, Jonas Chickering, Cabaret, Casino
  
• Wyman Piano Co.
  Mfg. in China
• Yamaha
  Mfg. in Thomaston, Georgia; Taiwan; Northern China and Japan?
  Brand Names include Yamaha, Cable Nelson
  
• Young Chang
  Mfg. in Seoul, Korea; Tianjin, China

If you have any corrections or updates, please let me know by using  the comment area below. 

There is really no excuse these days for someone who wants to learn to play the piano, to not be able to get an instrument, take some lessons, and learn to play at least to some degree.   The availability of teachers and the wide range of available piano choices provides  a very affordable,  healthy, and enjoyable activity that can be experienced by all who have the desire.

“What kind of piano should I get?”

One of the first questions many teachers are asked by their students is ‘What kind of piano should I get?”   As a piano technician (and x-pianist),  I  am asked this question from time to time as well.   I hope my thoughts here are helpful to those who are trying to investigate what the differences are between the acoustic and electric pianos.   There are many reasons piano teachers recommend a real acoustic piano for their students.   

First of all, an acoustic piano is a stand alone acoustic instrument.    It is a mechanical instrument made basically of wood and felt and metal and does require regular service and tuning.   A qualified piano tuner/technicians will be needed for regular servicing and the occasional repairs and adjustments that will be needed, due to basic wear and tear and humidity fluctuations.  

Acoustic pianos contain strings and a sounding board, and a very mechanical action that is all activated and controlled by the keys.   The sound is “3 dimensional” and is a result of a (piano) hammer hitting a string and causing that string to vibrate.   The string’s vibrations are transferred to the soundboard and the whole piano becomes an acoustic instrument,  again, the sound is “3 dimensional”. 

An electric piano requires electricity and speakers to produce its sound.  (There have been some electric pianos made in the past that did have strings and somewhat of a semblance of a real piano action, but they are mostly outdated now,  and are not the type that you will generally see in the dealers stores as an alternative to an acoustic piano).  The electric piano either has it’s own speakers  build into it, or it must be connected to some kind of an amplifier/speaker/sound system to make any sound.  

Electric pianos do not need regular tuning like an acoustic piano does.  Electric piano repair and maintenance is generally done by electronics technicians.   Electric pianos do contain some mechanical aspects (keys, pedals, etc) but the rest is switches, wires, circuit boards, chips, hard drives, computer stuff, etc.   I equate the guys who service the electric pianos as the guys who used to service electric organs.  Your dealer should be able to refer you to a qualified service person for any repairs and adjustments that may need to be done on your electric piano. 

The sound of the electric piano is basically ”2 dimensional”.   The keys are connected to a ‘switch’ that turns the sound on and off, and the speed of the key is electronically measured to determine the volume.   The faster the key moves the louder the sound.  The keys are also weighted to approximate the ‘feel’ of a real acoustic piano.  

The electronic pianos have gotten better and better over the years in a number of ways.   Most of them are now stereo, which helps them sound more ‘attractive”, and the types of weighting and spring systems used in the keys to help the to approximate the feel of a real piano has gotten better as well.

Piano Sound:  “3 Dimensional” vs. “2 Dimensional”

I wish I could remember who I first heard describe the differences of the sound of an electric vs. acoustic piano as “2 dimensional” vs. “3 dimensional”.  A “2 dimensional” sound is similar to a graph that has an ” x-axis” and a “y-axis”.  

Think of the speaker in your car radio.  This speaker works by moving air in a “2 dimensional” way, the speaker vibrates forward and backward  moving air and thereby producing whatever sound is fed into it from it’s sound source – in this case whatever ”sound’ is selected and modified on the keyboard by the various buttons, and options available on that particular keyboard. 

A “3 dimensional” sound is one that not only has an “x-axis” and a “y-axis”, but it also has a “z-axis”.  The piano hammer striking the string creates a sound that is a true acoustic phenomena vibrating in all 3 dimensions.   An acoustic piano, like all other acoustic instruments, does not require any amplification to be heard and played and (hopefully) enjoyed.

Piano Action Differences:  Acoustic vs. Electric

The pianist controls the sound by how he controls the movement of the keys.   In an acoustic piano, the keys actually move the piano hammer to strike the strings thus producing the sound.   The speed of the keys is infinitely variable and potentially responsive to all the aspects of a pianists ‘touch’ and skill.  The pianist is controlling how the hammer strikes the string, because how the hammer strikes the string, determines the sound.   

The amount of pressure required to press down a key on a piano can be measured in grams  (28 grams = 1 ounce).  Pianists expect to ‘feel’ a certain similar ‘range’ of down weight – i.e. the amount of weight required to depress the key to the bottom -   when they press the keys on almost any piano.    This range is around 48 – 54 g. when the dampers are not (engaged) being lifted when the keys are depressed, and about 70 – 75 g. when the key is depressed and lifting the dampers off the strings. 

Electric pianos have no strings, no piano hammers, and no dampers that are activated by the motion of the keys.  This causes the electric piano  to come up short in regards to giving the pianist control over the sound of the piano.  There is a difference between controlling the speed of the key movement - activating a velocity switch – and actually using the keys to control the movement of a piano hammer in how it strikes the string.

Another drawback to this is that the electronic piano actions are generally way to ‘springy’ when it comes to the key returning to its ‘up’ position.   A sensitive pianist can easily feel the key pushing UP on their fingers after playing the note or chords or whatever.  This ‘springy’ feel has a tendency to cause the sound on the release of notes and chords etc, to sound chopped off.  

Pianists are supposed to be, in the end, controlling the ‘sound’ they make.  And the good ones can control their fingers and make almost whatever instrument they play sound great!  But they are the experts.  They have spent years at it.   I have never met one who would prefer playing a Beethoven Sonata or a Chopin Nocturne on an electric piano over a reasonably good acoustic piano.   

Electric Pianos Do Have Their Place

Electronic pianos do have their place.  A good electric piano that has some string sounds,  some harpsichord sounds, some xylophone sounds, etc. can be a very nice addition to a church service as a ‘color’ instrument complimenting the organ and a nice grand piano.    For some small churches, or multipurpose rooms an electric piano can be a good choice.  They can also be a good choice for some school classrooms  where they are used by the teachers for accompanying.   There are many instances where their shortcomings in terms of sound and playability, are overshadowed by their portability and functionality.

Someone who already knows how to play can have some fun with one in their home too.  Some of the really advanced electric pianos are actually more computer than piano and have  built in recorders that allow the pianist to record their own performances, built in drum machines, auto-play and auto-accompany features and more sounds than most of us would ever get around to using.  They also have inputs and outputs on them for connecting to a number of other pieces of audio equipment, and they also have plug-ins for headphones.

Portability is another great feature for the electric pianos and keyboards.    Many models are light and compact, can fit in the trunk or back seat,  and can be set up very quickly for combo work.   Even though most combo piano players would probably rather play a job on a nice, in-tune, 6′ grand,   most combo situations just don’t have that luxury.   They can take their own instrument they know and are familiar with without having to deal with ‘what is there” piano wise.   So often I have felt sorry for the players that have had to play on those ’club’ pianos. 

Piano Depreciation:  Acoustic vs. Electric

Another aspect to consider when trying to decide whether to purchase an electronic piano vs. an acoustic piano is their ‘life expectancy’, i.e. depreciation.    A good acoustic piano will hold its value for years to come and can be traded in on a bigger better piano when the time comes.  The electric pianos are often replaced by newer models and therefore will depreciate rather quickly.  Many of us have had a piano for 30 years or more, but how long do we hang on to our TV or our Computers?  

Many electric piano buyers start small, and then decide they want more features or basically just more instrument.  So trading up is also a possibility with the electronic pianos as well.

I hope this has been helpful in understanding some of the applications and the differences between the electric pianos and the acoustic pianos.     Your dealer should also help you in answering any questions you might have.  Buy as good a piano as you can justify – especially if it is an acoustic piano.  A good acoustic piano will hold it’s value and through proper care and maintenance will give you years of good service and enjoyment.   

What is a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) 

The field of Piano technology is an unregulated trade. Therefore the Piano Technicians Guild has set its own standards of quality for piano technicians. The Guild has two types of members: Registered Piano Technicians and Associates. Associate membership is open to anyone with a “professional or avocational interest in piano technology.” On the other hand, the title of “Registered Piano Technician” must be earned by passing a series of examinations.

The RPT examinations are in three parts. There is a written exam, testing basic knowledge of piano design, tuning theory, repair and general piano technology. Next, a technician takes a standardized tuning exam. At least three examiners, set up a “master tuning” by tuning a test piano until they are convinced as a group that every note is in the best possible place. This “master tuning” is then used as the standard against which the examinee is measured. Using sensitive electronic measuring equipment, the examinee’s tuning is compared against the “master tuning.” This system gives a fair and standardized test for all chapters of the Piano Technicians Guild. The next phase of the examinations is a “technical test.” This test involves regulation of a grand action model and a vertical action model. On the test for the vertical action, the examinee is given a bag of parts, and must assemble it into an action model and make it function correctly. This method keeps the exam a reasonable length but still tests for the necessary skills. Then there is a repair test, covering all the basic in-home type repairs, such as broken strings, key repairs, and broken action parts.

The rating of RPT is not meant to be a rating for a rebuilder; it is meant to show that the technician is ready to handle normal piano service and repair. The Piano Technicians Guild has put a lot of time and effort into its examinations to establish a good set of standardized tests which will help insure quality service. The written test takes about 1 hour. The tuning and technical tests take about 4 hours each.

Only Registered Piano Technicians can advertise with that title. The Piano Technicians Guild does allow Associate members to advertise as “Associate” members, but these members have not yet passed the exams. They are encouraged to take advantage of PTG’s educational offerings. When you are looking for service on your piano, look for a Registered Piano Technician. The logo above designates that the member is an RPT. Note the words Registered Piano Technician in the logo itself.

Here are our official descriptions of these categories :

A Registered Piano Technician (RPT) has passed a series of rigorous examinations on the maintenance, repair, and tuning of pianos. Only RPTs are authorized by The Piano Technicians Guild to display the logo containing the words “Registered Piano Technician”.

An Associate is a member who has not passed the RPT examinations. Associates may be studying piano technology and working toward RPT status, or may be piano retailers, rebuilders, refinishers or other specialists.

Steinway & Sons

… Unfortunately, no matter how expertly a piano is tuned, atmospheric variations, particularly humidity, and the nature of the piano’s construction constantly conspire to bring it off pitch.

Your Steinway piano has been designed and built so that in normal use and under normal conditions it should need only periodic tuning. We recommend that your tuner be called at least 3 or 4 times a year. You, however, are the final judge and should have the piano tuned as often as you think necessary. To put the matter of tuning into perspective, remember that a concert piano is tuned before every performance and a piano in a professional recording studio, where it is in constant use, is tuned 3 or 4 times each week as a matter of course.

Tuning is an art practiced by skilled professionals and under no circumstances should anyone other than a professional be allowed to try to tune your Steinway piano.

• Baldwin

In the first year, … have your piano tuned four times. This is a period of environmental adjustment for a new instrument and proper attention is important.

After the first year, the piano should be tuned at least twice each year depending upon the frequency of use and atmospheric conditions. … arrange for a reputable technician to service your piano regularly.

• Yamaha

Why schedule regular service? Having your piano serviced regularly is a lot like taking vitamins. As you regularly take vitamins, you generally feel better and you are able to perform at your peak level. Also, taking vitamins helps you avoid serious illnesses and other health-related problems. The same is true regarding regular service for your piano. Regular service will keep your piano’s performance (and your enjoyment) at its peak level. It will also correct “progressive” problems early, before they turn into costly repairs. For these reasons Yamaha strongly recommends that you adopt a schedule of regular service for your piano.

… The strings need to be tuned a minimum of twice a year to restore them to their proper tension.

• Bösendorfer

Climatic factors such as temperature or humidity changes may cause the precise tuning of your piano to vary. Also naturally over time the tuning will alter due to the tensions the strings are constantly under.

If your piano receives normal use, we advise you to have your instrument tuned 2 or 3 times a year. Instruments which are being used more frequently, such as concert halls and recording studios, are being tuned before each concert or recording session.

… It’s important to note that tuning is only the adjustment of the system of strings and pins that determines the pitch of each string. Your piano also requires a periodic servicing called regulation…

What is piano ‘action’ regulation and how does it affect my piano’s performance?

Regulation is the adjustment of the mechanical aspects of the pianos to compensate for the effects of wear, the compacting and settling of cloth, felt, and buckskin, as well as dimensional changes in wood and wool parts due to changes in humidity…

… The action is the mechanical part of the piano that transfers the motion of the fingers on the keys to the hammers that strike the strings. It is comprised of over 9,000 parts which require adjustment to critical tolerances to be able to respond to a pianist’s every command…

Every note in a grand piano has more than 35 points of adjustment.

Every note in a vertical piano has over 25 points of adjustment.

Two pianos of the same make and model, made the same day at the same factory, can have very different values in a relatively short time resulting from a number of factors.

I do not buy and sell pianos. I have always thought buying and selling pianos, while at the same time selling piano services, would constitute a conflict of interests. My goal as a piano service professional is to be as honest, forthright, and objective as possible with the piano owner regarding the condition of their piano.

There are basically 3 levels of pricing for a specific piano at any particular time.

1. Retail value: a piano dealer’s price if the piano was in their store.
2. Wholesale value: the price a piano dealer would pay for the piano if the dealer were going to buy it.
3. Individual seller’s value: the price you or I may be able to obtain by advertising a piano in the paper, listing it on line, or leaving ‘For Sale’ signs on bulletin boards at churches, offices, etc.

The first step is to call your piano tuner / technician.

The piano owner should have been having the piano serviced regularly or at least had it tuned sometime in the past. The piano tuner who has serviced it may know the piano and should be your first call. Your regular piano tuner could have some helpful/useful information about your piano.

Ask the piano tuner if they know of any significant problems (delaminations, cracks, loose pins, design, etc) that would take your piano out of the mainstream of similar pianos or if it has any special features (an upgraded or special cabinet, finish, autograph, some other feature, or ‘story’) that puts it above the mainstream of other similar pianos.

Ask your tuner the brand and model (spinet, console, consolette, studio, upright, grand, etc.) of your piano. Your tuner may not have the serial number in his records, but may be able to help you locate it on your piano. The age of the piano can be determined by the serial number.

You will want to know the size of your grand piano in feet and inches rather than ‘baby’ or ‘large’ or ‘living room” size. (Grand piano size is measured from the very ‘front’ of the piano – the piece of wood just below the keys – to the farthest point on the ‘tail’ end of the lid).

Your tuner should be able to tell you how your piano compares to others regarding the overall condition of the case, wear and tear on parts, etc. and give you an idea as to selling price. But try to remember what you paid for it. What you paid for it can often be a good starting point. Remember when you purchased it? The salesman had to convince you to pay what you paid for it. If you can get close to what you paid for it now you are doing well. (Try getting your purchase price back by selling your refrigerator, or your sofa, the golf clubs, the boat, or the Mercedes.)

If you have a piano model that is still in production, and the price of the new ones have gone up, this does not mean your piano has necessarily appreciated in value. The fact that pianos like yours are still in production is worth more than the increase in price. Age does not make a piano more valuable.

If you don’t have a tuner (or can’t remember who tuned it last, lost his number, etc.) maybe you have a friend or relative who has worked with a tuner they know and trust. Call them. Or, you can call me. I would be happy to talk with you. However, the only way an experienced piano tuner / technician can really give you an accurate appraisal is to take a look at the piano inside and out, and perhaps tune it.

Just make sure the piano technicians you talk to – or listen to – have sufficient piano service experience and piano judgment that you will be able to respect. Music teachers, piano teachers and piano salesmen, though knowledgeable, are generally not skilled in the technical aspects of piano service and maintenance. So even though they are professionals at what they do and will be someone to talk to, make certain you talk to an experienced piano service professional as well.

The 2nd step is to visit your local piano dealers.

The next step in determining the value of your piano is to visit your local piano store and look at used pianos about the same size, age, brand, model, cabinet style and finish as yours. You really don’t want to omit this step. Even though you will not find an exact match to your piano, if you look at enough used pianos, you should get a general idea as to what dealers are asking for a good used piano similar to yours.

Keep in mind dealers will be able to get considerably more for a good used piano than you or I ever could selling them out of our home. But they should get more. Before selling the piano, the dealer will have already moved the piano to their store, and likely done any necessary cleaning, fixing, repairing, tuning and service. More often than not a store warranty is included with the piano – which has value and can be an appealing safety net for used piano buyers. The dealer can also deliver the piano, take a trade-in and even help buyers with financing. They also advertise on a regular basis, and have knowledgeable piano sales professionals to assist buyers in their purchase before, during, and after the sale. Dealers generally provide an in-home tuning after the piano has been delivered to the new owner.

The dealer may even have a consignment plan you might want to investigate- they may be able to sell your piano for you. They may be able to sell it more quickly and with less aggravation than doing it on your own. They have walk-in traffic – people go there looking for pianos. You may even end up with a higher price too. Maybe you will see another piano or an electric keyboard you might want to own. Maybe they would take your piano on trade for it.

You might also want to ask the dealer what he thinks your piano is worth, but there is where he becomes conflicted. If you want to know for insurance purposes, he may be able to talk replacement costs with you. But once you ask them about selling your piano, you become competition. After all, they are in the business of selling pianos too, and they are the professionals. (The better question would be to ask him how much he would give you for your piano.) Because they are professional, they should be helpful and courteous

Another thing to do while visiting the dealer is to see what he has for sale in the same price range you are thinking your piano is worth. Remember, the dealer has all sorts of added values (described above) which are included in the price of his pianos. A visit to your local dealers will be a very informative experience when it comes to determining the value of your piano.

The wholesale ‘value’ is the value the piano store pays for their pianos.

Generally, you and I cannot buy pianos at the wholesale level, even though we sometimes think we can. More often than not, there are good reasons why pianos are sometimes given away. “Nothing” is generally what they are worth – if not less.

You really should call an experienced piano tuner BEFORE accepting or picking up a ‘freebie’ piano. I can’t tell you how many people have called me after they have spent money and time (and friends who will no longer speak to them) because they lugged a freebie piano home from a friend’s, relative’s, friend of a relative’s, relative of a friend’s, off the street, or out of the basement of a building or church, etc.

You may think you are getting the deal of the century, and maybe you are, but the odds are probably millions-to-one against. Before doing this, call me or call someone else who may be able to talk sense to you. The phone call could save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

The best economy is quality, not junk. The last thing you want to do is end up with a piano that will be a constant service headache, will never sound right, will be an eyesore in your home, and not really worth fixing even if it could be fixed.

Even if the exterior case is something you think is special, if the inside is full of broken rusted strings, cracked bridges, loose tuning pins, failing glue joints, brass flanges, etc., let it go. More often than not, before the piano gets put out on the street or is given away, all the other avenues of getting rid of it have been tried. No one likes having to pay to get an old worthless piano hauled off. If the dealers don’t think the piano has value, you shouldn’t either.

The value of your piano will be somewhere between the wholesale price and the retail price.

Another consideration in determining the value of your piano is your local piano ‘market’. Different parts of the country will have different figures. Remember, I am NOT a piano dealer. Only the dealers know what their costs are, and with prices changing all the time, only they know what their retail prices of new and used pianos are at any given time.

After you have talked to your tuner, gone to some local dealers and review ‘pianos for sale’ in the classified section of the newspaper and maybe even gone to see a few, you will have a fairly good idea as to what your piano may be worth in your area.

I hope you have found this read helpful. Once you start the process you may find many varied opinions. But if you keep at it, do your homework and try to find knowledgeable professionals in the piano business who will talk with you, the smoke will eventually clear and you will end up with a reasonably good idea as to what your piano is worth.

After you have done your homework you will still be subject to whatever the demand or market is at the time you try to sell it. In the end, your piano is worth what someone else will pay for it.

This particular one may still be a prototype.

Sanderson Accu-Tuner IV as it came to me on Friday 11/07/08.

The Pelican case is really really solid. This new SAT IV could take a pop, or a drop, or a kick, and it looks like it could even be waterproof! We have all gotten used to being pretty careful how we store, lift and carry our SATs. No More! With this new SAT IV, it will be easy to just shut it up and toss it into almost any type of carrying case ~ with out any fear of damage from any other tools. (I expect the finished product will have the Inventronics, Inc. SAT IV label on it instead of the Pelican 1040 label).

Opening it up reveals a new display window, bigger buttons with different labels, and a brand new USB port.

Just to mention a few new things here. . . The display is backlighted now, and the brightness can be raised or lowered or turned on or off at the users discretion. Also, there is a signal strength bar in the window which shows the strength of the partial the SAT IV is listening to when tuning.

The new display also allows displaying of the complete header of the tuning. There are also ‘Help’ menus that can be viewed in the display that cover various functions of the SAT IV.

And as you can see, since this is a totally enclosed piece of electronics, all the inputs and outputs, as well as the microphone are on this display half of the new SAT IV.

Here is a larger picture of a portion of the display half with the USB port circled in red.

The Sanderson Accu-Tuner IV comes with the Piano Librarian software.  

The Piano Librarian software allows the SAT IV to connect to your computer via USB.

Here is a full view of the display half

Currently the memory of the SAT IV has protected locations for all of Inventronic’s Generic Tunings, and pages for: a custom Pitch Raise over pull page; 8 pages for Sequences; enough pages for storing 28 different temperaments; and the PTG Tuning Esam. There are 122 of what I will call ‘UNprotected’ pages of memory. Again, this arrangement may be related to the prototype nature of this SAT IV.

The Keyboard half is next

One of the new features is the ability to cut and paste tunings from the keyboard of the SAT IV. This cutting and pasting allows us to move a tuning to a different location and then modify it during tuning thru DOB or offsets, or whatever, and still leave the original version unscathed and in it’s original location.

The bottom of the SAT IV has a heavy-duty and ‘sticky’ pad. The new SAT IV will NOT scoot around nor will it damage the surface of whatever it sits on. And the SAT IV can easily be placed in a number of locations in and on the piano. The ability to open the lid flat or 90 degrees or closed or anywhere in between should make the display easy to see and adjust for any glare. Again, this new ‘clamshell’ design is built really tough.

There are a number of new features and tweaks. I will write more about it later. I have yet to tune a piano with it. But I thougt you might like to get a peek at it in its present form. I think it will be priced @ $1500 (includes: foot pedal, and bat charger, Piano Libraian software, USB cable, and Instructions manuals)

Thanks for your interest. If you have any questions or inquiries give me a call and we can talk about it.

Bob Conrad (520) 784-1549

Click here - What is a Registered Piano Technician?

These tunings will work using the SAT 1 or SAT II, but the Double Octave Beat (DOB) feature is found only on the SAT III and SAT IV.  If you have one of the older SAT models (SAT I, SAT II) you might want to start thinking about stepping up to a SAT III or a SAT IV.  The DOB feature, the auto note stepping, and the smaller ’footprints’ make these newer models more conveinent, more flexible, easier to use, and a better tuner in general.   

This is the header listing for the tunings that can be downloaded from this site.
The name of the tuning list is 081129CONRAD35

Pg.     Piano                                A4 & A7 numbers

The column on the left is the page number.  The 2^nd column is a brief description of the piano from which this tuning was originally taken.  The columns to the right are the A4 and A7 numbers.

In order to select a tuning,  first tune  A4 to A440 and then measure the 4^th and 8^th partials of that note.   The 4th partial is the A4 number, and the 8th partial is the A7 number.

A4 number measurement:
1.  In the TUNE mode, tune A4 to A440:  (A4 @ 0.0)
2.  Using the OCT UP buttons on the SAT, set the SAT to listen to the 4^th partial of A4:  (A6 @ 0.0)
3.  Play A4 on the piano (the note you just tuned to A 440) and observe the rotation of the lights.  They will be rotating sharp.
4.   Using the CENTS UP buttons (or the MSR button) on the SAT, stop the lights on the SAT and observe the CENTS reading.  Let’s say when the lights are stopped the cents reading is 9.4:  (A6 @ 9.4).    9.4 is the A4 number for that piano.
A7 number measurement:
1.  Now, using the OCT UP button on the SAT set the SAT to A7:   (A7 @ 9.4)
2.  Play the A4 that you originally tuned in step 1 above and observe the rotation of the lights. 
3.  Using the CENTS UP button (or the MSR button) on the SAT stop the rotation of the lights.  When you have the lights stopped, look at the cents reading on the SAT.  The Cents number in the Cents window is the 7 number for that piano.  Let’s say it is 41.   (A7 @ 41.0)
You now know that the A4 number for the piano is 9.4 and the A7 number is 41.

Now go to the header sheet above and find the tuning that is the closest to these two numbers.  A4 = 9.4 and A7 = 41
The closest match is the tuning on Pg. 18:   Steinway B      9.4     39.6. 

Comments:

This tuning will get you close.  You can use this tuning for pitch raising and your final tuning too.    If you have a SAT III, you can use the DOB in the top octave to raise up the 39.6 to 41. 

Eventually I will write other articles on using the DOB in the bass and treble.  I also need to describe how to check and correct the potential errors at the partial changes.    (There are 3 partial changes in these tuning:  G#2/A2 ; A4/A#4 : and B5/C6.  Each one needs to be checked and corrected for guaranteed smooth tuning results.)

Use the tuning whose A4 and A7 numbers match up best with the piano in front of you.  If you made the measurements on a console or spinet, but the numbers point to a Steinway B, go ahead and use the Steinway B tuning.   The amount of stretch doesn’t care if the piano has 3 legs or 2, is brown or black.

With DOB (Double Octave Beat)  we can now tweak the tunings to match the pianos and compensate for differences between the piano in front of us and the memory tuning we are using.

What is more important and unique about these CONRAD35 tunings is

1.  their partial change locations,

2.  the overall smoothness of the tunings, and

3.  the use of triple octaves in the high treble.

All of these tunings use a triple octave @ A7 .   This means when A7 is being tuned, A4 is the reference note.  (FAC tunings use double octaves up there, which means that when A7 is being tuned, A5 was used as a reference note). 

I have always liked the added stretch of triple octaves in the high treble.  But DOB  cannot stretch a double octave into a triple octave.   DOB allows us to adjust stretch as needed while leaving A4 unmoved, but it can only stretch the tuning so far.  Sometimes the difference between a double octave @ A7 and a triple octave at A7 can be 10 or 12 cents or more.  DOB cannot raise it that much.  But it can tweak a tuning that has used triple octaves up there just as it can tweak a double octave up there.

If the memory tuning contains triple octaves, the DOB can be used to put them right on the money.  I started using triple octaves and storing them into my SAT years ago.  If you want you can do the same thing.    It is all in your SAT Instruction manual. 

Good Luck, and have fun. 

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