[pianotech] Brumbach Rebuild

[Paul McCloud]

Hi, Friends:
    I've got a Brumbach action that someone rebuilt some years ago.  The pear shaped knuckles are now the standard type, and new hammers, shanks and whippens are fitted.  The capstans are relocated closer to the balance rail.  The customer's complaint is that some of the keys are sluggish to return.  After removing the action, I discovered that jiffy weights are mounted under the keysticks just behind the front rail.  This is in addition to the leads in the keys.  As it is, the keys play ok except for a few in the bass which is where the troublesome notes are.  What I'm seeing in the action setup is that the capstans are set too high.  The top of the capstans is above the "magic line".  If you observe the capstan/heel contact point, you can see quite a bit of sliding as you press the key.  Since I am not normally set up to rebuild actions and do all of the balancing work, I wondered if someone could explain how I would go about rectifying this action.  My instinct tells me that the heel should be taller/longer, and the capstan lowered so that they meet at a point on the "line".  What I don't know is if this will solve the problem or just lead me down a blind alley with more problems awaiting.  I don't have downweight/upweight measurements because I misplaced my gram weights somewhere.    I also noticed that the jack and knuckle are at a bit more of an angle than I'd like to see.  I wish I had the parts kit from Renner or Tokiwa to try some different combinations. 
        Interesting that this piano belonged to the late John Lennon, and he wrote "Imagine" on it.  The owner says John purchased it in New York.  I'm not sure if the work was done before John purchased it, or later.  
    Any suggestions or advice are much appreciated.  I do have more photos if needed. 
    Paul McCloud
    San Diego


pmc033 at earthlink.net
EarthLink Revolves Around You.
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