[pianotech] Gordon Laughead spinet with lifter wire issues

[Ken & Pat Gerler]

Rob,
I have tuned several G L, but consoles and studio.  As Tom said, usually in 
a fork like that you have a rubber (neoprene) grommet below the dowel. 
Apparently a previous tech switch out the rubber (that was probably as hard 
as a rock and noisy) with the dowels you noted.  Schaff had the rubber donut 
grommets (page 130, item # 3784) or you could replace the wood dowel with 
the Square Rubber Grommets (which have a nut in them) (page 130 #3785).

Ken Gerler

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Driscoll" <tomtuner at verizon.net>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 1:02 AM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Gordon Laughead spinet with lifter wire issues


> Subject: [pianotech] Gordon Laughead spinet with lifter wire issues
>
>
> , I did a quick evaluation on a piano this afternoon, a 1961 Gordon 
> Laughead Spinet. It has a few issues, chiefly..
> When the customer is playing the piano, every now and then the lifter wire 
> pops off the back of the key where it attaches.  The lifter wire is 
> threaded with a dowel and two different thicknesses of felt washers.  The 
> U-shaped metal bracket at the back of the key that holds the lifter wires 
> in place seems to attach between the two felts.
>>
> Rob,
> Rob,
>    This type  of lifter wire is usually inserted into a hole at the back 
> of the key and not into a fork as shown.  They still have a tendancy to 
> pop out especially on a sharp blow but when inserted into a fork as you 
> have here I can see why they won't stay put. The typical pickup wire for a 
> key as shown has a nut and rubber (neoprene) grommet ..
> I wonder if these were changed after manufacture  or it was a factory 
> decision. It's possible a tech replaced the grommets when they went bad 
> with this setup. I would see if a new grommet would fit into the fork and 
> if so make the change.
> Use care when adjusting these when they are tight. The wire will rotate 
> and can break the whippen where the elbow is pinned.It's a bit awkward 
> when the action is in but I grap the elbow with a parallel pliers under 
> the keybed and turn the nut with the Schaff tool that looks like  # 3333 
> in the most recent catalog.
> My first mentor , the late Paul Hegent of Sebring Fl. sold new Laugheads 
> out of his shop but this was in 1973-4 not 61' .
> Good luck,
>
> Tom D.
>>
>>
>
>