piano stuff

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: Ron Nossaman <RNossaman@KSCABLE.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: April 01, 2000 9:49 AM
Subject: piano stuff


> Charles Walter vertical: Finally got to tune one of these critters. Nice
> piano, good scale, pleasant sound, tuned real pretty. A couple of things
> caught my attention. It seems that the designer squeezed and pried,
> possibly muttered some too, to get the last millimeter of bass string
> length into the available space. The hitch pins are below the top of the
> bottom board, and the string angle is as far over as the case width would
> allow. That puts that first bass agraffe way up in the upper left to get
> the strike point right on that long string, and that didn't leave a good
> place for the tuning pin. Consequently, the string angle going through the
> agraffe is maybe 80°! I could feel that string grunching (technical term)
> through the agraffe when I pulled it to pitch. Made me want to retrofit an
> idler pulley to decrease the angle. How long before that sucker pops when
I
> try to move it? Has anyone had any trouble with this in these pianos?
Other
> than that one thing, I was pretty impressed with the piano. Just out of
> curiosity, and not that it matters, who designed this one?
>
> Ron N

--------------------------------------------

Ron,

Depends on who you listen to.

It is my understanding that the original plate and scale was laid out by Jim
Coleman while he was worked for Conn.  When Conn went out of the piano
making business it became the Jansenn where it was pretty much trashed as a
piano.  The Walters then bought it and began taking it somewhat upscale, so
to speak.  Some changes have been made to the scaling since the Walters took
over but I don't know how extensive those changes have been.

Del