Fw: v-bar/capo repair (filing compared)

[Barbara Richmond]

Hi Ed,

Good point.  I may try it, but it's the first four notes of the section are a problem.  In my effort to really find out what the problem is, I will try the pitch-locks first, see what the results are, pull them out, and then try out the brass half round or half oval and see what the results are of that, etc.  THEN, try filing.  It will be interesting to see what works and what doesn't.   As I said, my customers wish is that I don't have to use an "add on".  I will try to fulfill that wish, but will do what ever is needed--and then he can live with it.  :-)

Thanks to everyone, Mark & Joe, for the information you've passed on to me.  With all the information and the practicing I've done, I feel like I can go in and find out what the heck is happening with this piano.

Barbara Richmond, RPT
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: ed440 at mindspring.com 
  To: Pianotech List 
  Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 11:51 PM
  Subject: Re: Fw: v-bar/capo repair (filing compared)


  Barbara-

  Looking at the photo, it seems to me that the first capo bar unison is spaced too far to the left. The damper spacing is off, the space between the next unison is larger than the other spaces, and, as you noted, the shaped bearing surface is getting a little irregular.  What about just moving the strings a tiny bit to the right and testing  the sound, for a start?

  Ed Sutton


  -----Original Message----- 
  From: Barbara Richmond 
  Sent: Mar 21, 2006 7:05 PM 
  To: Pianotech 
  Subject: Fw: v-bar/capo repair (filing compared) 


  Hi all,

  Back to my picture of the Seiler capo/v-bar.  I'm sorry if I'm sounding like a broken record, but I would like to hear of your filing experience.

  I've never been one to look much at the capo/v-bar on grands, so I'm not familiar with the different "styles" out there.  This Seiler is a different design than Steinway.  I took at look at a Kawai GS-40 I worked on last week and it has the same set-up or one very similar to the Seiler.  Am I correct in assuming that the gray "hump" is the only hardened part?  I see the lighter & what looks like a flat surface from which the gray part protrudes.  It seems odd to see two such different surfaces like that--well, I guess strange, compared to the sort of all-in-one Steinway set up.   

  In the picture, the area where the first string is located doesn't look very impressive to me (uneven, less gray, more light colored surface), which I find troubling.  

  In general, it seems to me to get a good v-shape, I would need to grind off the edge of the light colored surface (is there potential harm in doing that?)--or do you just work with the small gray surface and leave the light colored surface alone?  It seems like it would be difficult to only work on the gray--but I could be mistaken since I haven't gotten my grimy little hands on it yet.    

  I had a go at some capo filing yesterday (on a different piano),  just to get some practice.  Well, that certainly is work!   

  One reason I am exploring this avenue, is my customer is rather picky and would prefer it if I didn't use "add-ons" (like pitch-locks--I practiced using those yesterday, too).  I would be more inclined to use the brass half round or half oval (of which I now have a nice selection), because IMO, it would look less like--"see, there's a problem here!"   I will end up doing whatever it takes, but I would like him to be pleased, if possible.

  Thanks,

  Barbara Richmond, RPT
  near Peoria, IL





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