<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2180" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=3>To Mike = Spalding,</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=3>Is this the model with wound = trichords in the low tenor and a four section plate? I re-did one of these a few = years ago; it had a French crank action which was extremely difficult to regulate = to modern specifications. The dampers were wooden affairs and not with wires, = so no bending was possible. I just tuned it to A440 and didn't worry = about what the "designed" pitch was meant to be. The soundboard on this piano is = also the smallest I've ever seen, being cut-off at both = ends.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=3><IMG alt="" hspace=0 src="cid:00b001c4c847$51fdb070$0100007f@Aspire" align=baseline border=0></FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=3></FONT></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=3>AF</FONT></STRONG></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=spalding48@earthlink.net href="mailto:spalding48@earthlink.net">Michael Spalding</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, November 11, = 2004 8:00 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> 1883 Bechstein = upright, "standard" pitch/scale tension</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <P> <DIV>List,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Today I'm disassembling an old Bechstein upright for = refinish and restringing.  Serial number dates it 1883.  Interesting features:  full cast plate, including full coverage of tuning pin = field.  Wooden (mahogany) action brackets, at ends only  (no = intermediate brackets).    Relatively small for an upright, = with only 85 notes. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I would appreciate any insights you might have regarding what = pitch it would have been designed for.  I've found brief mention of = standards adopted in 1885 in Vienna (435) and London (455), however C. Bechstein = was in Berlin.  I would like to evaluate and improve on the scale - = obviously got to know what pitch to tune it to when I'm done.  The existing = strings and pins appear uniformly old, but I wouldn't want to assume they're original.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>thanks for any info on pitch / tension</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Mike</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Michael Spalding</DIV> <DIV><A = href="mailto:spalding48@earthlink.net">spalding48@earthlink.net</A></DI= V> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <P></P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>