Handsome Old Timer Needs Bridgework

[Joe And Penny Goss]

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MessageHi Allan,=20
Do look and see if there is a slot that allows removal/disengagement of =
the action parts without unscrewing all those parts. There could be a =
connection sort of like a Baldwin drop action connection.
Joe Goss
imatunr@srvinet.com
www.mothergoosetools.com
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Alan=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2003 2:26 PM
  Subject: Handsome Old Timer Needs Bridgework


  Evaluated a 1900 Haines Bros. upright yesterday. Many quality features =
evident in the action, etc. Magnificent case with beautiful carvings and =
moldings--all intact. The only cabinet damage is areas of veneerial =
disease (chipped off pieces) along the bottom of each side.

  Some unusual things:

  Has stickers about 4" long that attach to the wippen AND the key with =
center pins through birds' eyes. There are no capstans, per se, but the =
stickers attach to short rocker arms at the back of the key. Each rocker =
(?) has two adjustment screws .=20

  The action brackets attach to the long frame bolts in the usual way =
but are also screwed down to the key bed, four brackets with two screws =
each. So removing the action requires removing 4 bolts and 184 screws, =
most of which cannot be reached with an electric screwdriver! Some will =
need to be loosened with an offset screwdriver then taken out by hand =
and the screws at the back of the action brackets require a screwdrive =
that can reach all the way down through the action. Removing the keys =
requires unscrewing 176 very inconvenient screws. Sheesh.

  The wound bass strings are steel, I believe, because under the dampers =
they are very shiny but definitely silver colored, not brass, and they =
appear a little skinnier than one might expect. Restrung during WWII is =
my guess. Oddly, though, if you take them down and beat on them to =
loosen the dirt and stuff, they sound pretty darn good!=20

  The bass strings do not turn around pins at the top, as is so common =
in modern pianos. They have their own pressure bar and v-bar. The pins =
are in-line so the strings are dead straight from the bridge to the =
tuning pins. There are 6 thin wound trichords on the long bridge and =
plain wire from E3 up.

  There are no collars around the tuning pins. The prospective buyer =
asked if that was a bad thing and I just said, "Well Steinway doesn't =
use them."

  Pin block is tunable but not tight--may be a problem in the dry =
season. There is a stain that suggests it was doped at one time and the =
spilled stuff was wiped off (more like "smeared around") with a rag. I'm =
thinking that it's a good candidate for CA, especially since it has no =
collars.

  Keytops are in great shape, maybe slightly yellowed, no chips or =
splits. One-piece tops. Not ivory, not modern plastic. Probably not =
original, either. Ivorine? Might be old plastic from the 60's or =
something.

  This piano might be a hobbyist or rebuilder's dream but I will just be =
making it work for the owner's children to take lessons on. They are =
buying it for $350 if I don't scare them with problems and costs.

  Soundboard, ribs, frame, plate all damage free. Long bridge has one =
tiny eyelash crack and one kinda big one.=20

  The bass bridge, however, is a mess. It is doglegged with eleven =
monochords along a horizontal section and 14 bichord pairs on a section =
that angles up about 20 degrees. It is capped and the cap, at least, is =
all cracked up with severe splits, not surprisingly, at the dogleg bend, =
where it is also slighty seperated from the bridge. It all sits on an =
apron with about a 6 inch offset.

  I've never recapped a bridge or made a new one and I don't want to =
start with this baby. Anyone who might be interested in doing this for =
me, please email me privately with an estimate and any information you =
need, etc. tune4u@earthlink.net=20

  Also, anyone with some knowledge or experience on this brand from this =
era, please share your thoughts. It really appears to have been a =
high-end piano even though, at that time, they were constructed for =
Haines Bros. by Winter & Co. (pre Aeolian, natch').

  If you want to replace steel-wound strings, do the string makers know =
how to make equivalents in brass?

  Alan R. Barnard
  Salem, MO



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