Individual aliquots on a Mason "&" Hamlin

[John Hartman]

David,

I usually clean the aliquots with oven cleaner. they're nickel plated 
and seem to be fairly durable. You have to be careful not to remove the 
plating by over buffing. See the photo below.

[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]


Since you were talking about the front aliquots I thought I would show 
you how I have been doing them.

[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]

I also tried this bearing bar in front of the string rest. It is thin 
baltic beech with felt over with an 1/8" steel rod in front. I haven't 
finished this BB so I will let you know how this works. Should help with 
friction.

[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]

David Love wrote:
> Joe:
> 
> Why would the piano sound like crap?   The reason I'm considering it is
> partly cost/benefit, partly aesthetics.  Repositioning the things is, as
> John H. mentions, a pain.  Then there's polishing each one of them out and
> putting a finish coat on them.  I've already removed the ones on the tuning
> pin side and replaced them with a continuous bar moved toward the edge of
> the plate to shorten the length of the counterbearing section to try and
> clean up the termination.  Changes from the client's perspective are not a
> problem as we have already discussed a few changes such as replacing the
> trichord wrapped with bichord wrapped on the tenor bridge and rescaling
> overall since new bridgecaps were put on.  I didn't really want to open the
> duplex issue, but maybe that's the question.  I personally haven't found
> any significant or detectable difference with tuned and untuned duplexes. 
> John H. and Ron N. seem to suggest there would be no functional change, I'm
> assuming that includes tonal differences.  So I'm interested in hearing
> opinions, especially from those who might have made that change.  The
> design of a continuous bar certainly exists on many high quality
> instruments, so I'm just wondering if I've thought it through well enough.  
> 



John Hartman RPT

John Hartman Pianos
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
Rebuilding Steinway and Mason & Hamlin
Grand Pianos Since 1979

Piano Technicians Journal
Journal Illustrator/Contributing Editor
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]