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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Conrad Hoffsommer posted this: "Inquiring =
minds want
to know... Have you yet determined the cause?" in reference to the =
Keyboard Schlump Disease in the Baldwin 6000. <BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Well ... I just got back to that piano today. =
Here's what
I did and what I learned ....</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Made sure the action was sitting properly on the =
posts and
that the three pedal rods were properly set. Checked blow distance and =
damper
functioning..</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV><FONT face=Arial>There was =
zip, zero,
nada lost motion: adjusted ALL capstans. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>There are no screws that I could find to adjust =
the height
of the center rail, as someone suggested. Also, one key might be low but =
adjacent to another that is high--not whole sections too high or
low.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Measured white key heights and selected the =
height I
wanted--shoulda looked it up in Baldwin specs but didn't have them with =
me
(oops).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Leveled whites and then set all sharps 1/2" with =
Jarvis
tool. I added as much as .025" to some keys and 6 were so low I started =
by using
a much thicker felt punching. Others were so high that even the thinnest =
felt
was too much and (true confessions) I got out the 80 grit.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Readjusted capstan heights, tweaked let-off, and =
thoroughly tested all keys.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Piano looks much better and plays just =
fine.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Part of the problem, and there's a lesson here =
that I
learned, is that this piano was in a humid bar for a few years--many of =
the bass
hammer heads had "popped" off their moldings. The keys are long and many =
have
big dog legs. Some are warped and canted enough that they give an =
appearance of
uneven heights even when leveled as best they can be. One key was so =
bad, I
asked Baldwin to send a replacement--just before the bankruptcy and =
sale.
Believe it or not, I actually got the new key, no charge, and it only =
took three
months of nagging ... er ... reminding them that they had promised
it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>What caused the KSD in the first place? =
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I haven't got the foggiest idea. I can tell you =
that the
center rail felts were all original little brown Baldwins and what =
little paper
was under them was in such a condition that I'm certain it was factory =
original,
too. You might be thinking that only the warped keys ended up at strange =
heights, but it's not true. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Weird. If I go back and find it uneven again, =
I'm calling
an exorcist.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Alan Barnard</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Stumped & Schlumped in Salem, =
MO</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>