<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.17104" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The Ludwig's I've worked on have had zero issues with touch weight issues. Nor have they had any problems with weakening of the key structure.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> My opinion... a brilliant and cost effective solution to the key leveling process.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tom Servinsky</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=tnrwim@aol.com href="mailto:tnrwim@aol.com">tnrwim@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, November 29, 2011 8:09 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [pianotech] Key leveling</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color=black size=2><BR> <DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica"> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 3px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><PRE><TT>But all in all, the idea should have taken off a long time ago. Why the manufactures never ran with this is beyond my reasoning. Maybe you could be messenger and get manufactures to take notice. Tom Servinsky</PRE></TT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV>The first reason that comes to mind as to why other manufacturers didn't adopt this system would be the cost factor. Although Ludwig was not a very expensive pianos, perhaps they were hoping to gain their fair share of the market. The other, as you pointed out, is that perhaps others saw the key ratio thing as a potential problem. But if I recall, the screw didn't do that. And last, although my customer's piano didn't seem to have any problems, could it be that the screw weakened the key enough to cause them to break with heavy playing?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Wim <BR><BR></DIV> <DIV style="CLEAR: both"> <DIV> </DIV></DIV><BR><BR> <DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica">-----Original Message-----<BR>From: Tom Servinsky <tompiano@bellsouth.net><BR>To: pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org><BR>Sent: Tue, Nov 29, 2011 12:57 am<BR>Subject: Re: [pianotech] Key leveling<BR><BR> <DIV id=AOLMsgPart_0_6b0ebe2a-60fd-4302-a2e1-9b18cce18e5c style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: #000; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff"><PRE style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt"><TT>I have several Ludwig grands with this same system. At one point when I was doing a lot of prep installations for David Steinbuhler, I had forwarded this idea to David to incorporate this leveling system in his reduced keyboard actions. Due to the extreme flair in the key design in the bass and treble, key leveling took on a much difficult process. Being able to level from a set screw made much more sense. The one issue we discussed was where the screw bottom would actually make contact to the balance rail. The big challenge was not to interfere with the key ratio. A contact point on either side of the balance rail pin could create some touch weight issues. But all in all, the idea should have taken off a long time ago. Why the manufactures never ran with this is beyond my reasoning. Maybe you could be messenger and get manufactures to take notice. Tom Servinsky ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Stanwood" <<A href="mailto:stanwood@tiac.net">stanwood@tiac.net</A>> To: <<A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>> Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 11:39 AM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Key leveling > Hi Jack Et al, > > Have you or anyone else seen the key levelling system that utilizes a long > screw that goes down through the key button/key onto the back of the > balance rail punching? Turning the screw in or out makes the key go up or > down. I'd love to get a photograph of this for a class I'm developing: > "Off Center Balance Rail Bearings" for PTG Institute 2012@Bellevue: > > Regards, > > David Stanwood > >>Hello to All, > >> This leveling system was produced by J. French just >>before P. A. Starch bought them in the late 50s. When >>Starck was bought by J. P.Seeburg. in the mid 60s was >>when this system went into production. > >> It was indeed presented as the best leveling device >>ever, by the " Seeburg " brochure. > >> Its weakness was that after you leveled the key you >>then you often had to adjust the standard capstan.. > >> At first I really liked the idea. Then actually using them >> was not so good. > >> Of course the very best " leveling device" ever, >>was in the " Bowen Henderson" grand of Boston. >>It was a dream to work with. > >> Regards, >> Jack Wyatt >> Dallas, Chapter > </TT></PRE></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>