Sy Zabrocki wrote: > > List--from Sy Zabrocki > > Some new high end pianos sell in excess of $50,000. All that cash and > we still use paper punchings to level keys and set key dip. Wouldn't > someone eventually consider this to be archiac. Not really saying it > is, just asking the question. > > About 25 or 30 years ago a strange vertical piano was exhibited at one > of the trade shows. I seem to remember the name as a Thomas and I > believe it had all plastic componets. The keys on this piano could be > leveled and key dip set with a clever set of threaded key pins. My > memory of how this worked is faint but I'll try explain. > > Imagine an extra long balance rail pin as an axle with a small wheel > swedged about half way up the shaft. The lower end of the balance rail > pin is threaded and screwed into the keybed. So now place a cloth > balance rail punching on the round disc shaped (wheel) and place the > key over the pin like normal. The top end of the pin is slotted so it > can be turned with a screwdriver. Turning the top of the balance rail > pin either way raises the key up or down thus eliminating the need for > paper punchings. > > Setting the key dip was similar. Again the front rail pin had a disc > mounted about half way up the shaft. The lower part of the pin was > threaded and screwed into the keybed. This time the front rail pin was > slotted at the bottom end. The key dip was adjusted by inserting a > screw driver into the hole UNDER the keybed. A cloth front rail > punching is now on the disc (wheel). As the front pin is turned from > under the keybed the punching raises or lowers, thus eliminating the > need for paper punchings. With this system there probably would be no > need for a key frame. > > All this pertains to a vertical piano. The grand piano key frame has > to shift so it becomes complicated to apply this to the grand action. > > Has anyone seen this system or any similar to it? > > Sy Zabrocki I think the inventor was John Gibson, RPT, and it was described in the Journal about four years ago. Sid Stone has a action model incorporating this feature. Paul S. Larudee, RPT Richmond, CA
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