[CAUT] Thumping Baldwin SF

[Fred Sturm]

I agree with David, I like the design. Most of the times I run into  
it, the front glides are badly out of adjustment, and it can be a bit  
of a pain to work though the steps to get them right starting from  
haywire. I think a lot of techs turn them by mistake, thinking they  
are keyslip screws or something. Or they "just start adjusting away"  
without any forethought or plan, and make a mess of things, kind of  
like a lot of the drop screws I find.
	The system works well when it is set right, and when it isn't, it is  
easier to get right than a warped front rail, at least in my  
experience. One thing I notice, the cheek blocks can pull down on the  
ends of the front rail using the top and bottom most glides as a  
fulcrum, and create a gap/thump in the middle. So you have to watch  
out for excessive squeeze from the "key-flame glides" (<G> as Yamaha  
called them for years in parts lists).
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu



On Dec 23, 2008, at 9:36 AM, Porritt, David wrote:

> Ed:
>
> You know, for some reason I always thought the "front rail glide"  
> was a good idea.  Knabe did that on some pianos early in the last  
> century.  I've adjusted them and had good results.  There's  
> something that bothers me about "destructive" ways to adjust  
> things.  Removing wood on the front rail that can never be put back  
> on to adjust the fit seems odd though I'm aware that it has been  
> "traditional" forever.  I just prefer systems that can be actually  
> adjusted.  OK, it's just one of many psychological flaws.
>
> dp
>
>
> David M. Porritt, RPT
> dporritt at smu.edu