[CAUT] Mason A Pics

[Ed Sutton]

Jim-

The front bearing geometry of the Baldwin L, as I recall it, is 
significantly different from the M & H A. The hard felt plays a different 
role from what looks like wool cloth you have covering the "hump" on the 
plate.

If you are clever, you can loosen about 4 notes at a time, pull out the 
cloth and slip a half-round brass bar under the strings. Put it somewhat 
"downhill," just high enough to clear the strings over the top edge and feed 
the strings to the pins at a 90 degree angle, and it may solve your problem 
with the least amount of re-engineering.

Functionally it will give you the same result as David's and Jon's long 
brass bars.

Long time ago I worked on an old M & H that had rosewood bearing bars at the 
front. To the best of my memory it tuned well.

Ed Sutton


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Busby" <jim_busby at byu.edu>
To: <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 3:57 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Mason A Pics


Thanks Ben.

That's a good idea, and it will give me feedback sooner than doing a whole 
restring, etc.

Regards,
Jim



   Hello Jim Busby,
   Before you start tuning it, I have a story to share.
   You suspect as much. I have a client with an aging Baldwin L that had 
felt under the front duplex segment of the capo section that made it 
impossible to tune. It was hard as a rock. After phoning a few local 
technicians who could not ascertain why the capo would not stay in tune for 
more than a week or two when returning after tuning it once in a week or two 
I decided to carve down the felt between the strings until it appeared the 
strings cleared the felt without bearing on it.
   Now she only calls me about once every two years, and it will still be in 
tune then. Simple solution to a problem some techs she had look at it could 
not figure out.
   Whether or not that is part of the problem in this case, I do not know. 
Both photos show some evidence of bearing on the felt; I would try using a 
razor or something between the strings-I just used a screwdriver-to drive 
down the felt, before de-stringing it, and see if anything happens.
   Good luck,
     - Ben