<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.5626" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="WORD-WRAP: break-word; webkit-nbsp-mode: space; webkit-line-break: after-white-space"> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Fred~</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Unfortunately the plate itself is remarkably devoid of any patent numbers, or other of the expected black lettering for this period. The piano looks to be a 1925, as the serial # is in the 75,000 's.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><IMG alt="" hspace=0 src="cid:799373017@15092008-2E7F" align=baseline border=0></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>It does however have "Wurlitzer, Reg. U.S. Pat Office, U.S.A," cast in the plate in the usual place you see the brand, in the treble aliquot section, (See photo) (although this piano has front duplex, but not rear aliquots.) I would be really surprised if there wasn't a patent for this tuning system somewhere in the patent archives, but I'm not sure where I would start looking or what search words to enter. Maybe you would know.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>On pianotech, Scott Jackson e-mailed me from Australia and said the same system was used by the Beale Piano Company of Sydney, and mentioned the name Vader Tuning System. I don't know if that might help or not in a search.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Here is a photo of the pin and tightening screw, removed from the piano. (See photo)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><IMG alt="" hspace=0 src="cid:799373017@15092008-2E86" align=baseline border=0></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Some previous tuner/technician had written "Apollo" in pencil on the keyframe and action, next to the serial #.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Just looks, to the casual eye, like a normal piano, </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><IMG alt="" hspace=0 src="cid:799373017@15092008-2E94" align=baseline border=0></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>until you pull the action and look underneath the plate, where the pinblock normally should be. (See photo): Why there is a plate flange is beyond me. I don't think anyone in their right mind would try and install a pinblock under an inch thick plate web. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><IMG alt="" hspace=0 src="cid:799373017@15092008-2E8D" align=baseline border=0></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>The giveaway, without looking underneath, is that there are neither tuning pin bushings nor clearance between the pins and the plate. (Nor are there any plate to pinblock screws.) I knew it looked different, somehow, when I first saw it...</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=799373017-15092008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>~Kendall</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> <FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> Fred Sturm [mailto:fssturm@unm.edu] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, September 14, 2008 9:47 AM<BR><B>To:</B> College and University Technicians<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [CAUT] Wurlitzer Iron Pinblock - Anyone ever restring one ofthese things?<BR></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV></DIV>HI Kendall, <DIV><SPAN class=Apple-tab-span style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></SPAN>Does your piano by any chance have a patent number on it for the stringing method? I'd be curious to search it.<BR> <DIV apple-content-edited="true"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; webkit-text-stroke-width: 0"> <DIV style="WORD-WRAP: break-word; webkit-nbsp-mode: space; webkit-line-break: after-white-space"> <DIV>Regards,</DIV> <DIV>Fred Sturm</DIV> <DIV>University of New Mexico</DIV> <DIV><A href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A></DIV> <DIV><BR class=webkit-block-placeholder></DIV></DIV></SPAN><BR class=Apple-interchange-newline></DIV><BR> <DIV> <DIV>On Sep 13, 2008, at 1:34 PM, Kendall Ross Bean wrote:</DIV><BR class=Apple-interchange-newline> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 10px Arial; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; webkit-text-stroke-width: 0">I think there might also be some confusion here because Wurlitzer apparently used two different configurations for these iron pinblocks. The one I am working on uses a machine screw with a relatively fine thread to hold the tuning pin in from the back (or underside on a grand), but you brought up a good point: there was also a design that used wedges, and a tuning pin that was split at the bottom to accept the wedge, which wedge could then be pounded in further to tighten the pin (which design I have also seen in my travels, but unfortunately don't have a picture of.)</SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>