4 pedal upright, 'tremelo' pedal???

[David Renaud]

I tune one of these beasts, but five pedals!!!
only one I've ever seen.

The tremolo has a rail of very tiny wooden balls that
can is positioned to touch the strings--interesting.

There is a sostenuto, sustain, and muffler felt.

The orchestra pedal on the one I tune is like a a honky
tonk strip with an interesting twist. There are very thin
brass rings with a string of thick cloth woven through it.
The positioning allows the top of the ring to strike first, the
the cloth mutes, then the bottom of the ring strikes, then the rest
of the cloth partially mutes. Sounds somewhat like a double stop
harpsichord. When I saw it I expected honky tonk tone and was
quite surprised.

Next time I go back I'm going to bring a camera.

                                                      Dave Renaud
                                                       RPT
                                                       Canada


PNOTNR@AOL.COM wrote:

> List,
>
> I tuned a Wing & Sons Upright today.  It has 4 pedals.  The left pedal is not
> hooked up to anything, but above it is written "tremelo."  The center left
> pedal is a soft pedal above which is written "piano," the center right is a
> damper pedal above which is written forte, and I suspect the right pedal was
> for either a muffler rail, or a mandolin type rail, above which is written
> "orchestra."
>
> I'm not losing sleep over this, but I am a little curious about what the
> tremelo pedal on an otherwise typical old upright might have done, and how it
> did this.
>
> Thanks
>
> Gordon Large, RPT
> Maine




PNOTNR@AOL.COM wrote:

> List,
>
> I tuned a Wing & Sons Upright today.  It has 4 pedals.  The left pedal is not
> hooked up to anything, but above it is written "tremelo."  The center left
> pedal is a soft pedal above which is written "piano," the center right is a
> damper pedal above which is written forte, and I suspect the right pedal was
> for either a muffler rail, or a mandolin type rail, above which is written
> "orchestra."
>
> I'm not losing sleep over this, but I am a little curious about what the
> tremelo pedal on an otherwise typical old upright might have done, and how it
> did this.
>
> Thanks
>
> Gordon Large, RPT
> Maine