[pianotech] Brumbach Rebuild

[James Grebe]

That is interesting as Steinway has come out with an art case model and says 
Lennon wrote "imagine" on a Steinway.
James
James Grebe Est. 1962
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul McCloud" <pmc033 at earthlink.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 2:58 PM
Subject: [pianotech] Brumbach Rebuild


> 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 th
> at 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.