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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Hi Everyone,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>My wife met someone yesterday while food shopping
who wants her piano tuned. I'm told that the piano has 64 or 68
keys. She cannot recall exactly what the woman told her, and it was a
piano made especially for kids. What brand of spinit am I looking at
tuning, and is there anything I need to know about it before I tune it?
Thanks again.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Marshall</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=tvaktvak@sbcglobal.net href="mailto:tvaktvak@sbcglobal.net">Tom
Sivak</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, July 25, 2006 12:59
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Upright damper work - newbie
seeks opinions, please . . .</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Jim</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Why replace anything more than the felts? Not sure what you meant
by 'multiple wimpy dampers', but if the felts are coming unglued from the
damper blocks, then it's time to replace the felts with new ones.
Hot hide glue is the glue of choice. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As far as what felts to use as replacements, check your Schaff or
Pianotek catalog and try to match the existing damper felts. You can buy
a set of bass dampers that will have a preset number of monochord and bichord
felts. Compare that to the number of mono and bi strings on your
Knabe. (You can always buy extras if need be.) Any set of treble
dampers will have enough for your piano, but I usually try to duplicate the
size of the existing dampers. Some pianos have the same size damper felt
for the entire treble, while others graduate from larger to smaller. You
can buy sets of either type. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The one area I might stray from the original design is in the lower
trichords. If the set of dampers you've bought has any trichord wedges,
I'd use them even if the original damper layout used exclusively flats for the
trichords. There a little harder to align to the string so that they
dampen all three strings equally but once aligned, they do a much better job
of muting the strings than the flats. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I like to glue the new damper felts on the damper blocks while the
action is in the piano, especially for the mono and bichord wedges.
By gluing the new felt on the damper block while the action is in the
piano, the new felt seats itself against the strings naturally, and results in
having to make fewer adjustments after the glue has dried. Just lift the
damper lever, put the felt (with glue on its back) on the block, and release
the lever; the damper spring will firmly keep the felt in place, but still
allow it to move slightly from side to side as it finds its natural position
between the strings.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I hope that answered your question... </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Good luck,</DIV>
<DIV>Tom Sivak</DIV>
<DIV>Chicago<BR><BR><B><I>James H Frazee <jimfrazee@msn.com></I></B>
wrote:</DIV>
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<DIV>It's a 1957 Knabe console with multiple wimpy dampers coming
unglued. Should I replace just the felts or the entire damper assembly
and, if so [either way], which/whose should I use. I realize my times
will be about double what JG's Labor Guide says but I want to do it
right because it's a regular client and nice lady. Thanks in
advance.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jim Frazee<BR>914.763.8689<BR>Offlist at: <A
title=mailto:jimfrazee@msn.com
href="mailto:jimfrazee@msn.com">jimfrazee@msn.com</A></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>