Sohmer "Cupid Model" Restoration

[David ilvedson]

How does one determine if the bridge has indeed rolled?

David Ilvedson, RPT

Date sent:      	Wed, 07 Jul 1999 22:49:18 -0100
From:           	Clark <caccola@net1plus.com>
To:             	pianotech@ptg.org
Subject:        	Sohmer "Cupid Model" Restoration
Send reply to:  	pianotech@ptg.org

> Hello,
> 
> We just finished a quick restoration on a Sohmer "Cupid Model" grand
> with agraffes on the tenor bridge but with front and back pins in the
> undamped treble and in the bass. The bridge in the middle tenor had
> rolled, pulling the soundboard and bridge loose from the ribs.
> 
> Our shop has repaired this (before my time) with bolts in front of the
> agraffes through the bridge roots and ribs. The owner of this piano
> specified that we simply make it work: 40% of the ivory was damaged, and
> the action was fairly poor.
> 
> I capped the ribs with maple (recycled from a delaminated upright
> wrestplank) slightly oversized of the separation at the front, extending
> about half of that to the rear. I placed screws from underneath the
> soundboard into the front of the bridge, carefully clearing the agraffes
> and additionally I put screws with soundboard buttons through the top of
> the soundboard into the maple caps on the three worst (cracked) ribs.
> 
> Preliminary tuning/voicing actually surprised me in not having the
> anomolies I expected: certainly it sounds as good as it would with
> bolts.
> 
> Clark Panaccione
> 
> 
> 


David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA
ilvey@jps.net