George Steck grand

[Alan]

My 1922 Steck grand has a capo d'astro bar specifically for all the bass
strings and another for the tenor section that is curved. They are part
of the plate casting and there are struts just a couple of inches from
each that are roughly parallel to the capos. Then there are capo bars in
the treble and high treble sections.

The pressure bars are also a molded part of the plate. 

The only way to put in agraffes would be to grind the bass pressure bar
off (assuming it wouldn't leave the plate too thin) and install them on
that line. Then you'd have to grind away the bottom of the capo bar
about a 1/2 inch. This would change the string angle considerably and
the agraffes would only be about an inch from the nearest pins. You'd
also be adding about 2 1/2" to the speaking length of the strings.

So other than totally screwing up the scale, creating severe negative
downbearing (making it upbearing?), making restringing and tuning more
difficult, and basically being pointless, it would be a snap to do. <G>

There are no pins, by the way. The strings are dead-straight all the way
from bridge to tuning pin.

Alan R. Barnard
Salem, MO

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Delwin D Fandrich
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2003 9:21 AM
To: davidlovepianos@earthlink.net; Pianotech
Subject: Re: George Steck grand


----- Original Message -----
From: "David Love" <davidlovepianos@earthlink.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: June 07, 2003 9:25 AM
Subject: George Steck grand


> .... It is an agraffeless piano
> (through the bass).  The piano currently suffers from bad scaling and
> corrosion on the strings and has a rubber band sounding bass....My
> question has to do with whether or not it would be worth creating a
more
> secure arrangement for the terminations at the tuning pin side in the
bass
> and low to mid tenor, and how that might be done in a faux agraffe
way.


Just what is the bass string termination? I've not seen a George Steck
with
a capo tastro bar down there but, of course, I've not seen them all and
George was fairly inventive. Or is it just a string coming over a
bearing
bar with pins or something--ala typical upright style? In the bass it
doesn't take much to provide an adequate termination.

You can always try drilling and tapping for agraffes, but it's not easy
and
it is very time-consuming if you want to get it right.

Regards,

Del

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