<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> Ed, What an colorful life you must have!  :-)  Obviously that comes with some trials we don't have here in the overpopulated east, but then I guess we have our own set of problems, traffic for one.  99.98% of my travel is on paved roads and highways, with only an occasional farm lane unpaved, and even they are usually short. Comment on first diatribe:  I am not a pro on overdamper actions, having only ever worked on one.  Did the dampers work correctly *before* the tuning?  If they did, and if you are sure the action is in the same location as it was before you started, then I think the strings' position may have moved slightly by adding the tension.  But of course I don't know; it's a shot in the dark. Comment on second diatribe:  As technicians we expect pianos to work, but I understand a very small group of consumers don't care at all if it works; they just like the way it looks.  If you were the dealer, what value would you place on a poorly-playing instrument that is beautiful? In my mind a lot depends on what the dealer did or did not say. Maybe you have the whole story, maybe not.  Maybe the dealer was unethical, maybe not.  Maybe the piano was sitting there and the dealer said, "Oh, I can't recommend that one.  Nothing's been done to it in decades, the action is obsolete, and it's got a damper problem as well, and we have no intention of putting any time into it.  The only reason we didn't immediately throw it out is because its such a pretty thing."  But the guy notices that it plays, sort of, likes the case, and plunks down his money anyway. Diatribe 3:  If you have many such experiences, write them down and keep them.  IMO there's room for another book such as the already printed "Notes of a Piano Tuner" by Campbell.  I had fun reading it, although not everyone did (it's been discussed here). Regards, Clyde Ed Carwithen wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE><style></style> Subject; Birdcage piano. Problem 1st, diatribe 2nd, and for those still with me the whole story 3rd. I don’t do many birdcage pianos, fortunately. Today...a doozie! After tuning I could not get the dampers to damp. It is as though the action itself is warped or something. From about F1 to C5 the dampers are not contacting the strings sufficiently to stop the tone either individually or collectively. Any note played sets the entire piano warbling. When I push in on the action the situation is better, but not fixed. There is plenty of play in the sustain pedal so that is not the problem (2 pedals; the other moves a felt strip in front of the hammers). The problem is so severe that even when cutting off sound with finger on the strings the C5 (for instance) tone continues to sound from sympathetic vibrations of other strings, almost as though the sustain pedal were being held down. C#5 on up seems to work fine. Starting with that note the dampers are smaller, and the wooden stop at the bottom of the damper wire has some slack before contacting the lower action mechanism. I tried adding some slack to the C5 as well, but it didn’t seem to help. I tried adjusting the wire holding the damper itself toward the string, but that didn’t seem to solve it either. Perhaps it might have helped that one tone, but the rest of the piano sounding sympathetically made it appear not to have helped???? There is a wood dowel keeping the action from being moved back toward the strings; one on each side. The locking mechanism for the action is in good repair. HELP. Someone with great knowledge on English Overdamper pianos tell me what I need to do to get those dampers working properly. 2nd. Diatribe: Nice owner. Recently retired, now wants to learn to play the piano. This piano was sold to him for $600 in Eastern Washington State. It was obviously sold "AS IS." 198 cents flat! A Bird cage piano yet...problems with dampers as noted above...and FILTHY. They couldn’t even bother to take a vacuum to it??? Dust underneath the keys was so matted and thick it was like felt. Even a 1907 English penny under there. I know, I know..."Caveat emptor, Let the buyer beware" But still... Here is a man who wants to learn to play the piano. He goes into a music store for help. They sell him a nice looking piece of crap that can’t be played! "It just needs a tuning!" I can see the saleman giggling about how they finally unloaded that white elephant on some unsuspecting rube. Maybe I am wrong. If you are the man in the store in Eastern Oregon who perpetrated this mess, email me and explain how I have misinterpreted it. If this were someone looking for antiques to fix up and sell, or someone interested in it as a curiosity, ok. But someone expecting to come home and start in on John Thompson #1??? I don’t think so! #3 The Whole Story. The call comes in last week. We establish a day and time, and today is it. 60 miles from home. Turn on a secondary road that goes up the mountain, then turns into a dirt road. 6 miles of washboard rattling your eyeteeth, and sending up a dust cloud that could obscure the sun; up the mountain, down the mountain, and a switchback every 200 ft. What is amazing is that there were MANSIONS out there. 3 or 4 of them. The clients house didn’t appear to be much from the outside; manufactured home on the absolute top of the mountain with a chain link fence to keep out the deer. Inside is very nice, but what makes it special is that he has put the house on top of bluff and made a second story below the house. Very impressive. And he built it all himself bit by bit as he could pay for it, so that now it is free and clear. Anyway, that is the locale. The piano is beautiful. The outside has been well cared for. Everything actually works, the keys all make sound, the pedals actually work. But 198 Cents flat. Are you remembering that this is an overdamper? Its bad enough to do that big a pitch raise on a normal one, but on an overdamper it is a long day. I got a lot of practice taking birdcage action in and out. and got it up to only -25 cents, and only broke 1 string (which I replaced..ok?) Then the damper problem manifested itself. Couldn’t solve it, so came home to ask for help from all of you. Incidentally it is a Rintoul B. Not listed in my Pearce. Anybody know anything? No serial number that I could find. Ed Carwithen John Day, OR Yes, I am member of PTG...associate. Yes, I go to meetings. Yes, I have looked for information in the Reblitz and in my Potter course manual.</blockquote> </body> </html>