Horrible example

Conrad Hoffsommer hoffsoco@martin.luther.edu
Mon, 17 Nov 1997 15:44:08 -0600


Here's a little fluff for your day.

The following are results of inspection at chapter meeting and recent
teardown of 4'9" /1,45m Brambach (pos) pso of unknown age.

----------------------------------------------------------
You know your pso has been rebuilt by an expert when...

Top sections of hammers have been replaced but not the bass section.

Hammers usually strike at least two of three strings in any given trichord
unison.

Hammershanks protrude through most (replaced) hammers 2 or 3 mm, those that
don't are short by a similar amount.

Una corda pedal doesn't shift action because both lyre screws and one leg
screw extend into keyframe.

Understring felt not replaced, but rather is covered by nameboard felt.

Keys show no evidence of rebushing.

Damper wires have some curious bends.

Strings #3 and 4 go to the wrong tuning pins.

Some pins at 5-10° toward bridge. Others angle left or right.

Many pins show 8-10 mm thread above the plate.

Bottom of pinblock shows most tuning pins poking through, and those you
can't see are hidden by splintered bottom ply.

Pinblock ends floating 8-10mm above inner rim.

Plate webbing split throughout bass pin area.

Pinblock fit "improved" by inserting 8mm thick pine wedge at notch, and
using up to 8mm thick application of "Plastic Wood" between it and flange.
Some of that application oozed up to 2mm thick on top of plank.

Several plate screws bent by string tension.

One plate screwhole so close to edge it looks like a "cut-away  view".

Have not thrown scale numbers into computer yet, but 14 unisons of 17 ga and
20 unisons of 13 ga., with no 13 1/2 or 14, will probably produce an
interesting graph.

Conrad Hoffsommer		Office - (319) 387-1204
Acoustic Keyboard Technician	hoffsoco@martin.luther.edu
Luther College 			pno2ner@salamander.com
700 College Drive			Quod capita tot sensus.
Decorah, Ia 52101



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