old Steinway underlevers

[Kenneth Sloane]

        Reply to:   RE>old Steinway underlevers

Another problem associated with the old underlevers in your piano is that they are thinner than the current production units. By being thinner, less surface area contact between the underlever and key cushion occurs which accelerates wear at the key cushion. If the piano is used a lot, large grooves can appear at the key cushion in the heavy use area of the piano making shifting of the keyboard a problem and damper regulation a nightmare.

Replace the entire damper rack!!!!!    Ken Sloane, Oberlin Conservatory

--------------------------------------
Date: 1/5/99 10.43 AM
To: Kenneth Sloane
From: caut@ptg.org
I have an old Steinway D (ser 150050) under my care that has its original
underlevers - the ones with the fixed sostenuto tabs and the damperwire
retaining screws (I'm sure there is a better technical term for those)
"threaded" into the wood. Of course, after a humdred years, many have
stripped, with all the resultant problems, and I'd like to deal with those
problems by forestalling them.
	My preference would be to replace all the underlevers, so as to
have hinged sostenuto tabs, and reliable new wood, etc. The other option
is to drill and install metal inserts. My question is, "How troublesome is
it to replace a set of underlevers?"
	These underlevers have the flanges horizontally attached to the
damper tray (don't know if glued or screwed at this point, but I can
handle that problem all right). I assume, never having done this
replacement, that these are non-standard parts, and that something would
have to be patched together - I see listed in a catalogue flanges for old
Steinway, which I presume are intended to be attached to other
underlevers, but is there an underlever with the right dimensions?
	Anyone out there have some good advise (or even marginally good
advise) for me? This is for a prep school I service, and they'll need a
bid, so I can't just tear in and then decide.
Thanks!

Fred Sturm, RPT
University of New Mexico


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From: fred s sturm <fssturm@unm.edu>
To: caut@ptg.org
Subject: old Steinway underlevers
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