Larry Gardner rote, 4/9/96: <<Just my luck. I know, Dekalb = Wurltizer. Anyway, if you believe the number written in ball point pen on the plate, it's a 1918 4? foot grand.>> Mine had a 5/8" outer rim, the action brackets were laminated sheet metal (pot-metal brackets may have been the earlier style), and there was no fallboard. (The front stretcher unscrewed from tiny angles up by the rim, and lifted straight up. Then you could get at the keyblock fasteners.) <<Since I noticed some hammers blocking, I went ahead and adjusted the letoff on all 88 notes, and since I noticed some excessive(!) drop I then pulled the action to regulate it. Low and behold, on most of the notes the drop screw was already as high as it would go against the flange. >> The suggestions to look for flat knuckles and spreading action spread are solid ones. Don't over-look badly overcentering shanks. Maybe the hammer bore was too short causing the knuckle as it follows the hammer upwards to ask the rep lever to go higher than what would allow for a normal drop. Who knows, maybe the "rebuilder" inadvertantly added 1/2" to the string height A page in a book with THE regulating spec? as if! Actions like this get regulated on a guide note, on which you prove that the settings can get both an approx 1.75" blow and a .390" dip. (If not both, then I'd go for the .390" dip leaving the pianist with something familar-feeling.) Worse come to worse, you can recover the drop pads with nameboard felt (-the self adhesive kind will give you a softer glue line). Keep careful notes of your adventures here, because it would make a very interesting journal article (....."Regulation the Ragged", hmmmm...) Bill Ballard RPT NH Chapter PTG "When writing a mental note, first procure a mental piece of paper" ............mental graffitti
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