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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I just wanted to put =
this out to
the list. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> As some of you know, =
I get to
work on a whole lot of new pianos, and there is something that's been =
bugging me
for a while now.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> On just about every =
new Samick,
and all their variants, I see the same old mistakes being made at the =
factory
concerning the pedal-trapwork-damper systems, but especially on the =
really tiny
little baby grands.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> On every single one, =
when you
depress the pedal, and then strike the key, you will see no rise on the =
damper.
If you depress the key, and then operate the pedal, you will see the =
damper rise
up above keydip. If you depress the pedal, and then check the damper =
lift from
there by lifting up on the damper with your fingers, you will find that =
the
damper is jammed up against the rail. There is a capstan of sorts above =
the
trapwork, but it's really a screw, which you can't get to without =
pulling out
the trapwork lever; so you do this, screw out the screw about 2 to 3 =
mms, put it
all back together, only to find that it hasn't made a bit of difference =
because
it never was touching that screw to begin with. So you do this about =
three times
until you get it right. ( I like to see the damper wink on the sharps, =
but not
on the whites).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Now you can set the =
up-stop rail
above the dampers, so I pull the action and every single time I =
look at
those damper wires, the bends are all over the place! No wonder most of =
the
dampers are seating on the right side of the strings. The holes drilled =
in the
underlevers don't seem to be uniform in the angle in which the wires go =
into the
lever, some of the wires are going in at a rather acute angle, which =
helps
account for some of the weird wire bends.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Enough venting, what =
I want to
know is; if a system has been in place long enough, where the pedal jams =
the
underlevers up until they stop against the upstop rail, can't that =
possibly
cause the pinning on the underlever flanges to bend, causing them to =
start
seizing up? I've got a couple of customers with problems where you take =
out the
dampers, lift the underlever flange, and it just stays there, in spite =
of the
two big lead weights on it. I hit it with a dose of silicone oil/naptha =
mix, but
I wouldn't be surprised to find that the pin's bent.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> On the smaller =
one's, like their
4'7" model 400, they've been putting plastic parts on their trapwork. =
Trouble
is, all too often, when you're pulling the trapwork off to adjust the =
"capstan",
when you put it back on, the bushing just falls out, because the glue =
they're
using doesn't adhere to plastic. Luckily, we have a Piano-Disc installer =
at
work, and I've been having him save me the same parts that are made of =
wood, and
I just replace them when that happens.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I know they sell 'em =
cheap, but
it doesn't really take any more time to do it right the first time, as =
long as
your workers have a clue as to what's right, and what's =
not.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> That's one of the =
reasons I like
Japanese pianos, it's in their culture; to do it the wrong way would be =
to
dishonor yourself and your family.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>" I cut it twice, and it's still too
short!"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kevin E. Ramsey, RPT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="mailto:ramsey@extremezone.com">ramsey@extremezone.com</A> =
<BR><BR></DIV><A
href="mailto:ramsey@extremezone.com"></A></FONT></BODY></HTML>