This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Yes Bill, I agree. When I approach a piano, I always do my utmost to = service it well, and to see how much I can improve it. My dislike of = Kimball comes from only being able to reach a certain level of = performance before the piano stops me, because it would be impossible to = go further with it, without rebuilding and or re-designing it. ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Billbrpt@AOL.COM=20 To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 10:17 PM Subject: Re: Piano Brand Name Puzzler In a message dated 1/8/01 10:23:27 PM Central Standard Time,=20 mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com (Farrell) writes:=20 Kimball How on earth did you guess. I should add that the tuning pins were = driven to=20 the proper depth, the coils were neat and uniform and the feel was = firm but=20 easily moved without any jumping. It was easy to tune compared = especially to=20 some of the pianos mentioned recently on this List, including = Steinway, both=20 grand and upright. There was not a hint of false beating. The high=20 inharmonicity scale actually works to my advantage in the way I tune = both=20 temperament and octaves. In short, I had no complaint nor any reason = to think=20 poorly of this piano.=20 To me, it looked like one of Kimball's pianos from the Chicago factory = but=20 the tag I read clearly stated that it had been made in French Lick, IN = with=20 the case being made in Jasper (where they apparently still do make = piano=20 cases). Everyone knows that their quality control and workmanship = went down=20 drastically during the '70's (and maybe a little before and after too) = but=20 that it did recover in the last few years of production.=20 But couldn't that be said of Steinway too during its CBS ownership? = To me,=20 the Teflon bushings were more of a scapegoat for numerous defects in=20 workmanship. The materials were sometimes questionable but the = workmanship=20 made matters much worse. I think you could say the same for Kimball = when it=20 was at its worst.=20 One long term client of mine who is also a good friend who throws an = annual=20 wine and cheese party has a Kimball Viennese edition upright. He = hires a=20 pianist to play for the event. At that last event, I heard the owner = ask the=20 pianist what he thought of the piano. His answer was "rich tone". It = really=20 surprised me because I was thinking exactly the same thing.=20 Everyone knows about the bad ones but I think its important to note = that as a=20 company, Kimball was capable of and did produce some good pianos. = Their old=20 grands had a really rich tone like none other and their really old = uprights=20 were very well made although their brass flanges were not easy to = service.=20 Coincidentally, my 3rd appointment of the day was another Kimball, = this time=20 a "Kimballette" from the Chicago factory in the 1950's. It had a = direct blow=20 action but had keys with a big step in them. It was very out of tune = and=20 hardly played at all because there was so much lost motion that the = hammers=20 just bobbled against the strings. The keys appeared unlevel and = floating. =20 There was so much lost motion in the pedals that they barely worked. = It=20 sounded terrible and was unplayable.=20 Now, I have 90 minutes and can decide to turn it down, badmouth the=20 manufacturer and make the customer feel stupid for even having this = thing in=20 his living room and thinking it is a piano or I can use the knowledge = and=20 skills I have built over the years and make this instrument capable of = playing music. I wouldn't earn much money doing the first option but = I would=20 doing the second.=20 So, in checking things out, I see that the capstans need a full turn = or more.=20 It could use cleaning but no keys were sticking so I decided to do a = capstan=20 adjustment only. The alignment was good and there were no rattling = flanges=20 and the let-off was reasonable close. Taking up the lost motion also = made=20 the dampers lift properly. But there is no capstan tool I know of = that will=20 even reach these capstans, not to mention all of the tedious turning.=20 The best technique is to pull the key out and give the capstan the = estimated=20 turn easily with the key in hand. Just as in tuning, making a = technique like=20 this work requires being able to make a good estimate. The goal is to = move=20 through all of the capstans quickly and easily, avoiding stress and to = pick=20 out just a few here or there that were a bit over or under turned.=20 As often happens, when I finish, the customer knows it and comes out = saying,=20 "Now that's *beautiful*!" I never get tired of hearing that. He sat = down to=20 play and I heard the word "yes" and the sighs and/or moans of pleasure = that I=20 hear from nearly anyone who plays a piano I have tuned and serviced. = He told=20 me he was glad he had found me because he had about given up hope that = this=20 piano would ever sound and play right. He said, in fact, "All the = other=20 tuners I ever got *hated* it".=20 Well, I didn't hate it at all, obviously, but what I really did enjoy = was the=20 reaction of the customer to 90 minutes of good solid technique applied = efficiently and effectively. I also enjoyed the nice 3 figure check = that he=20 wrote for my work. To paraphrase Liberace, "I hated that Kimball all = the way=20 to the bank".=20 Bill Bremmer RPT=20 Madison, Wisconsin=20 ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/b4/4c/b9/18/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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