Who needs,,,,,,,,,,

[Jon Page]

I replace the hammer rail felt with fine emery cloth (150 grit, I believe).

This way the hammers have a better chance of staying put on those
1849 State of the Art wonders.  Tradition is an admirable trait, isn't it?

Regards,

Jon Page


At 02:04 PM 01/14/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>John!  I love your terminology (terribly traditional).  I'm going to write
>that down.  Right below Del's (conventional wisdom is an idiot).
>
>I always wondered why that felt was there.  Does anyone remove it?  Should
>they?
>
>Carl Meyer assoc.
>Santa Clara, Ca.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "John Musselwhite" <john@musselwhite.com>
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>; <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2001 1:02 PM
>Subject: Re: Who needs,,,,,,,,,,
>
>
> > At 01:58 PM 1/13/2001 -0500, A440A@AOL.COM wrote:
> >
> > >Inre unfinished Steinways, John writes:
> > >
> > ><<it means that in a new piano *you*
> > >have control over the growth of the last bit of the piano's potential
> > >rather than it being realized in a modern computer controlled factory
> > >somewhere just like the last one that rolled off the assembly line. That
> > >should be a *good* thing, not something to complain about.>>
> > >
> > >Greetings,
> > >    That doesn't explain why the hammershank traveling is so poor,  or
>why
> > > the
> >
> > I suspect the travelling is often poor by the time they're delivered
> > because the flanges don't have a solid base on which to sit. The cloth
>over
> > the action rails is terribly traditional, but is it all that stable when
>new?
> >
> > >damperwires are so unpolished that they make as much noise  as old
>trichord
> > >felt, or damperwires that are pressing very firmly against one side or
>other
> > >of the guidebushings.  It also doesn't explain why there are so often
>loose
> > >pins in the bridge,(I've learned to cure false beats here), or why the
>key
> > >bushing can be erratic.
> >
> > Many of these problems are evident in different vintages of instruments.
>In
> > some years there were worse things than that. I look after an M purchased
> > new in 1972 that was a total disaster right from the showroom floor but no
> > one told the owner.
> >
> > >    There is little reason to send a piano out with glide-bolts all over
>the
> > >place, or the front-pins nicked by the spacing tool of an ignorant or
> > >careless worker.
> >
> > Glide bolts are a regulating problem. That piano has possibly been sitting
> > in a crate in NYC for a while. I can't argue with sloppy workmanship
>though.
> >
> > >    Quality control costs money, and it seems that there is a lot of
>trading
> > >on the name that is going on in New York.
> >
> > Indeed it does, Ed. I hear both Fazioli and Bosendorfer have excellent
> > quality control. What do they cost... nearly twice the Steinway or only
> > half again as much? What are their comparable maintenance schedules?
> >
> > A Yamaha CF-III costs more than an S&S D, at least here in Canada. I hear
> > their quality control is good too. Perhaps if Steinway raised their
> > prices  to catch up with the others they could afford quality control as
> > well.  B-})
> >
> >                  John
> >
> > John Musselwhite, RPT    -     Calgary, Alberta Canada
> > http://www.musselwhite.com  http://canadianpianopage.com/calgary
> > email: john@musselwhite.com    http://www.mp3.com/fatbottom
> >