Mason and Hamlin A, circa 1909: What to do with loose tuning pinsinbass...

[John Ross]

Re: Mason and Hamlin A, circa 1909: What to do with loose tuning pinsinbass...That's me reading things in the middle of the night.
It read like doing them all at once.
I still say that the metal sleeve is not a valid fix. Veneer or sandpaper are valid shim material. 
I think that the C/A has passed pinblock restorer as a recommended fix, as well
John M. Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
jrpiano at win.eastlink.ca
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David Ilvedson 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2007 2:40 AM
  Subject: Re: Mason and Hamlin A, circa 1909: What to do with loose tuning pinsinbass...


  I think he was giving all the possible quick fixes...

  David Ilvedson, RPT
  Pacifica, CA 94044



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  Original message
  From: "John Ross"  
  To: "Pianotech List"  
  Received: 12/28/2007 9:59:47 PM
  Subject: Re: Mason and Hamlin A, circa 1909: What to do with loose tuning pinsinbass...


  I can't believe it, so I had to read it twice.
  Who in their right mind, still uses those metal sleeves.
  I bought some in the 70's to try. 
  Tried them, determined they were not a valid fix, so never used them again. 
  I might even still have them someplace.
  Then again, on reading the message once again, it doesn't make sense. It suggests four fixes?
  John M. Ross
  Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
  jrpiano at win.eastlink.ca
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: bunkyaol 
    To: Pianotech List 
    Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2007 1:27 AM
    Subject: Re: Mason and Hamlin A, circa 1909: What to do with loose tuning pins inbass...


    Obviously pin block, remove strings by keeping tension on them as you spin them out...ca & pin block restorer and metal sleeves, oversize all the bass pins, re install and tune, remove original bend....you've got a pin block to replace but this may give you a few years, maybe not if it's delamed or split, good luck.
    tom mc
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: piannaman at aol.com 
      To: pianotech at ptg.org 
      Sent: Friday, December 28, 2007 10:47 PM
      Subject: Mason and Hamlin A, circa 1909: What to do with loose tuning pins inbass...


      Hi All,

      I worked on a 1909 M and H today, and the piano was in almost pristine condition.  It is an absolutely wonderful piano.  The action plays great, hammers are in excellent shape, the strings have very few "false" beats.  The only problem is the pinblock.  The wire sections are okay, but the bass has probably 20 loose pins.  Most of the low bass pins are loose.

      I would like to remedy this.  Even though it should be able to hold tune for the short term, they won't be stable for any length of time.  Here are the choices as I see them:

      1).  CA that section of block.  I really don't want to do this on this particular piano, even though it would be the quickest fix.  

      2).  Replace bass tuning pins.  This is a good option, imho, with the drawback being brittle beckets breaking (say that ten times in a row....).  Replacing individual strings on a piano of this age will compromise the even and beautiful tone that the piano has.  Tying broken strings with thick cores can be challenging, too.

      3).  Replace all strings and pins.  In the long run, I think this is the best option.  They certainly could afford it.

      4).  Insert your thoughts here, please.

      I'm going to leave things as they are for now, and check on it again in 6 months or so to see how things are holding.

      A side note to this:  when I told the family that their piano would be 100 in a couple of years, one of the little girls started to get all excited about having a birthday party for it!

      Thanks for reading,



      Dave Stahl 
      Dave Stahl Piano Service
      dstahlpiano.net

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