Schoenhut Kids Piano

[Sarah Fox]

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Hi Bill,

Funny!  I remember tuning my children's toys too!  ;-)

This sounds a bit like the Fender Rhodes I had in college.  That's not =
to say that it "sounds" like the Rhodes -- just that your description =
suggests some commonalities.  The Rhodes had tines (the metal rods) with =
"a thin wire wrapped around the ends."  To tune a tine, slide the =
wrapped wire (which is a fine tuning weight) back and forth on the tine. =
 Ease it towards the end to lower the pitch.

You say *some* of the rods have wires on the ends.  Those can be tuned, =
but the others will need wire wrappings to be tunable.  Add a wrapping =
perhaps 80% out on the tine (flattening it), and snip/grind a tiny bit =
off of the end of the tine (sharpening it).  Then adjust as you would =
with any other tine.  Alternatively, you can add wrappings to all the =
tines and do a slight pitch lowering on the entire instrument.

If you want to get fancy, you can play with the harmonic content of the =
sound by altering the strike point.  :-)

Hmmmmm....  I wonder what one of those toy pianos would sound like with =
inductive pickups and an amp!  Use PlastiCoat on the plastic hammers to =
"voice" them down, and it might sound a bit like a Rhodes.  Now THAT =
would be something cool for your grandchild to jam on!  <wink>

Peace,
Sarah

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: w peterson=20
  To: Pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Friday, March 19, 2004 10:31 PM
  Subject: Schoenhut Kids Piano


  Has anybody tuned a Schoenhut Kids Piano?  It is a real cute little =
upright.  It has rods that are stuck in a metal bar.  Plastic hammers =
strike the rods by means of a very crude escapement bar.  Some of the =
rods have a thin wire wrapped around the ends.  I have to tune this for =
my Grandson, and I need all of the help I can get. =20

  You can see these toy pianos at www.toypiano.com=20

  Bill Peterson in the South Bay of Los Angeles
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