Celeste service

[Michael Jorgensen]

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
Well Said Rob,
      We've got a "Junko" too.  Every rotten item you list is true about
ours.  The very foundation consists of warped pine, pressboard, and
stripped screws.  Had to back it with plywood so it doesn't rack into a
various parallelograms.  Hammer strike point  is important but I can
only get it right on some notes which have twice the volume and sustain
as neighbors.  It works, although horribly, with a lot of jury rigged
parts, and much time.  Regulation consistency--- Forget it!
      I hear the cost of a new celeste is astronomical.  Seems like
somebody could make a living building these, at a fair price that is.
Conductors want a new one, but others faculty say it's not worth it to
be able to play "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".
-Mike


Robert Goodale wrote:

> Ohhhh dear...
>
> I went through this twice for two different universities.  I'll start
> by saying that the name is pronounced "Junko".   These were the worst
> excuse for a celest ever built with multiple design flaws.  I have
> done some homework on these and I can tell you that the company that
> build them went out of business years ago, I think sometime in the
> early sixties.  They were very inexpensive even then so thousands were
> sold to schools.  Some of them still survive and continue to torture
> instructors and music directors.
>
> I can tell you what to expect because all of they are the same.  First
> of all the keys are made using a molded plastic top which is glued
> from the sides onto a piece of wood that Jenco called a "key" for
> whatever reason.  When the plastic tops break, (which they all
> eventually do).  There are no replacements available anywhere. Epoxy
> is your only hope.  Second, the key bushings they used, (on very
> strange pins and frame) are of the cheapest quality possible which is
> probably the cause of the looseness.  Down in the bowels of the
> "instrument" you will find a series of wire drop stickers that
> alternate to one of three tiers containing mounted aluminum bars.  All
> of the parts are made from Bakelite, a material that pre-dates
> plastic, (which should give you an idea of how old these things are).
> With age the Bakelite parts deteriorate.  They become brittle and and
> bits break off or flake away.  There are no replacements available at
> all and they are certainly not something that you would want to try
> duplicating.
>
> The bars are suspended in place by a piece of cord that threads
> through holes.  A spring at one end maintains tension on the cord.
> With age the cord eventually breaks and the entire network of bars
> become dislodged.  Even if all of the components are good it is nearly
> impossible to regulate one of these things so that it plays well.  The
> only real adjustment are little screws on the ends of the sticker
> wires which are often frozen.  Let off is a joke.  It works by spacing
> the hammer (suspended by a wire), so that it just barely misses
> touching the bar when the key is fully depressed.  The hammer
> continues on to strike the bar via it's own momentum by flexing the
> wire.  The system works but just barely.
>
> All I can say is good luck.  The entire thing is a joke so you just
> have to improvise as you go.  The first one I worked on was so bad
> that it was totally beyond repair. They decided to just junk the whole
> thing and forget it.  Before ditching it I salvaged all of the
> aluminum bars on their mounted decks.  Some day I plan on using them
> for a cool project.  The second one I worked on wasn't quite so bad
> and is still under my care.  I patched it together about a year and a
> half ago and it is still regularly used although I had to do some
> weird things to make the dampers work correctly so the pedal is really
> heavy.  The department knows it is on it's last legs and plans to
> invest in a new one in the foreseeable future.
>
> I hope this doesn't discourage you too much.  There are no rules on
> these old things, you will just have to do whatever it takes to make
> it work and pray it keeps going. Good luck!
>
> Rob Goodale, RPT
> Las Vegas, NV
>
>
> JStan40@AOL.COM wrote:
>
>> List,
>>
>> I realize that some time back--as much as a couple of years,
>> perhaps--there was information about people who service celestes,
>> but as usual, I had no need for that information and promptly forgot
>> all about it.  Now I have a friend who is a percussion teacher and
>> needs service on a Jenco celeste.  According to him, all notes do
>> play, but the action--such as it is--is very sloppy, and they would
>> like to have it serviced.
>>
>> If anyone has any information that would help in servicing this
>> little beast, would you please send it to me privately, so as to
>> avoid clogging the List?
>

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/9b/27/07/85/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--