Ed wrote: > I'm replacing the pinblock in a 1970's Zuckermann "Stein" Fortepiano. The quotes around "Stein" are apt in thie case of these pianos. In reality it is a "Way fortepiano" that has little to do with Stein. That being said, if they were originally made properly, they can make reasonably good instruments when tweaked. One of the chief characteristics of these Way pianos is being heavily over-built in the framing department, so it is indeed quite surprising that you report structural problems. Way designed the piano like a brick *** house, supposedly to account for kit-builder screwups, but I don't buy that - I think he simply didn't understand the relationship between the case and the acoustics in this type of piano. The originals are *much* more lightly built structurally and the case plays a significant role in the acoustics.. > In the 1980's the string scale tension was increased at the direction of > David Way, owner of Zuckermann Harpsichords. The pinblock began to warp and > the instrument is now unplayable. > First, I'm curious if anyone else has run into this, since this is a > rather common instrument. The owner has a xeroxed scale from Way, which > makes me wonder if he had decided to rescale this model at a higher tension, > and how many other instruments have warped pinblocks. If you can get (actual) string lengths and diameters for all notes I would run it through my spreadheet and compare to the "standard" stringing for this Zucky kit-piano. Do you have any photos of the damage? > Second, I'm wondering what material to use in the new pinblock. It is > supported at the ends only, no gap spacers. The original appears to be > solid beech. Wouldn't Delignit or Falconwood be a stiffer material? > Bolduc's 5 ply pinblock would be delightful to work with, but I fear it > wouldn't be stiff enough. Or I could just use solid beech and hope it lasts > a few decades. Most of the hard woods are ok for this application (solid). The original European pianos would have had walnut or maple. In US hard maple is a pretty good choice. Stiffness is not the choice-factor, more the preference for ease of tuning pin movement etc. (some people don't like h.m. for that, but I haven't noticed anything wrong with it). The old guys simply used whatever was available at the time (pragmatic). There is no need for any modern pinblock laminates etc. on a piano like this. To avoid splitting because of the pins, the pinblock should be cut quartered (on old harpsichords you often see pinblocks split from the log, and even still maintaining the taper that comes from splitting). A practical problem is how to get thick quarter sawn hard maple in today's commercial market (most is flat sawn for veneer making). If you haven't cut you own logs and put them away 7 years ago, get the thickest flat sawn maple you can, cut 2-3 stips, and laminate to simulate quartered material. Probably best to avoid a drill spot with the glue joint. The pinblock is veneered with soundboard spruce isn't it on the Zucky piano (most originals at that time were)? Not that it matters. As you suggest, the easiest thing might be to use modern pinblock material, given that the thing is a modern hybrid to begin with, but it's probably best to go for solid wood if at all feasible. > I haven't decided whether to return to the original scale. That is my > inclination, but the owner states the instrument sounded better with the new > scale. As I said, if you can pass on the stringing data I'll put it into my spreadsheet. The wire material used may be relevant to the tonal problems encountered. What is it strung with? Stephen Stephen Birkett Fortepianos Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos 464 Winchester Drive Waterloo, Ontario Canada N2T 1K5 tel: 519-885-2228 mailto: sbirkett@real.uwaterloo.ca
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