[pianotech] Mason & Hamlin Random Resonator

[Will Truitt]

Thanks, Dale

 

Will

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of erwinspiano at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 8:40 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Mason & Hamlin Random Resonator

 


  Will 
  I have tightened only one also on an A....Same scenario. I simply snugged up the loose bolts & no worries. This of course is no place for extremist moves. Just the usual gentle piano technicianly caress.
  Dude
  Dale





To all:

 

I am finishing up a Mason & Hamlin A 3 and will be delivering it in a couple of days.  It’s got a new board, and I am doing the last of the voicing and tuning on the Weikert hammers.  It sounds good, BUT for a very high pitched buzz (hiss) or zing that I need to isolate and get rid of.  I’ve done the usual stuff – all glue joints are solid, all screws snug, etc, etc.  I went over the piano with a fine toothed comb and a microscope chasing the first bad buzz for over a week – which turned out to be a plate bolt washer under the plate near the treble end – I finally caught it when it glinted just right in my mirror with LED light.

 

Anyway, I believe this high pitched overtone is likely coming from the tension resonator.  If I tap it with my knuckle, I get the same sound coming off of it.  Checking the two large bolts that attach the arms of the resonator to the inner rim, I found that I could loosen them with my fingers.  It is my guess that they were more than finger tightened in the factory in 1913.

 

Obviously, I need to at least snug these at a minimum.  My question is this:  Does anyone have any experience with tightening, snugging these puppies?  I’m not trying to pull the rim in as they may have been doing in the factory, but I would like to at least get an appropriate amount of tension on each of the bars, so as to minimize any sympathetic (unsympathetic is  more like it!) vibrations.  

 

Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.

 

Will Truitt

 

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