steinway c 1868

[richard.ucci@att.net]

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Horace, can you elaborate on that damper back action?

-------------- Original message from Horace Greeley <hgreeley@stanford.edu>: -------------- 


Hi, Ric,

To chime in with Dale (with whom I completely agree here), you will also want to take a very careful look at those agraffes.  Many of the instruments I have seen from this period had the agraffes ground for clearance after installation, and/or have simply become weakened from age.  If you wind up restringing, which is a good option, depending on the circumstances, I would suggest finding a good machinist with whom to become very good buddies.  (Theoretically, it will take 440 with room to spare.)

Also, it sounds like you might have the original damper back action...sigh.

I'll be interested to see how this unfolds.

Best.

Horace


At 05:12 PM 5/21/2005, you wrote:

 Hi Ric
    This is not a C but a style 1 or 2 with the S shaped metal soundboard cutoff in the bass corner & aggraffes all the way to the top of the trebles ...Right? some of these were designed to be tuned at a much higher tension during the pitch wars of the late  1800s.   
   I re-bellied one built in 1871 & the original string scale was built for A-458. You need to find out if the rebuilder rescaled for A-440 to answer the question you have asked. At A-440 the scale designed for higher tension will not speak properly but sound dull & lifeless especially in the top 2 agraffe sections  Ask me how I know.
  Measure some string lengths  & th'er corresponding string sizes , At various locations & run them thru a scale design program & see what the tension read out is. If the tensions aren't up round 150 to 60 then something is wrong. 
   Best
  Dale Erwin

Hi List,

New client has a Steinway C . Rebuilt; nice job on strings, original repaired soundboard and bridges, damper job not so great. Dampers falling off lifting uneven etc. 

Can this piano be tuned to a-440? it is about 100 cents flat now. I noticed an unusual curved piece of metal attached to the soundboard at the bass side near the pin block. Can anyone elaborate on it?



Rick Ucci/Ucci Piano 


 
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