Sohmer Grand

[Wimblees@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 7/15/00 1:11:41 AM Central Daylight Time, 
tunemwell@rcn.com writes:

<< I was called in to check out some problems with this old Sohmer grand
 23482 #11 (what's the #11?). According to Pierce, this is between 1895
 and 1900. The piano was sold as a "rebuild" by a dealer. Amoung other
 things it has a new pin block. 
    I don't remember having ever seen a piano with a treble bridge like
 this. It has agraffes on the bridge for a cut off and no side bearing on
 the bridge. The bass bridge is traditional (and nicely done). The other
 oddity is that there are no glides on the keyframe.  Anyone with info or
 experience with this please share.
    The complaint was that the action was stuck in shift mode and that
 hammers were hitting more than one note and needed aligning. 
    I unscrewed the endblocks - the action stayed shifted. I removed the
 endblocks and keyslip and after a little help, it returned. When I began
 to remove the action, I found it snug to the left side. After I got it
 out I saw signs of the hammer flange screws hitting the bottom of the
 new pinblock. Further, I found that the bass hammers were forced down so
 much that they jammed tight on the hammer rest rail. I can't believe
 none are broken.
    So I've concluded that the pinblock really needs to be shaved down a
 bit. Any thoughts? (I have quite a few myself already)
    After cleaning the bed and keyframe and lighly sanding and freeing the
 little wheel in the left endblock it's shifting nicely.
        Swamped with work in Wmbg.......dan j
  >>


The agraffs on the bridge is nothing new. Sohmer made a bunch of these at the 
turn of the century. I wouldn't try to do anything about it.

The reason the pin block is pressing against the hammer screws is because 
whoever put in the new one, didn't take into consideration that the pin block 
needs to be shimmed up from the inner rim. You can try to shave off the 
bottom of the pin block with file, or chisel, or electric grinder. I have 
only done the front edge, when I forgot to cut it for the fall board. But I 
have never had to take off the whole bottom layer. 

It sound like a major problem. I would suggest you either walk away form this 
one, or try to get the customer to have a new pin block installed. 

Willem