Second Action for Steinw

[Kenneth Sloane]

        Reply to:   RE>Second Action for Steinway Concert Grand

Mike- We still have the Piano with two actions, but the older action is now out of service because of excessive hammer wear. There are two "D's" in that hall now, one voiced less brilliant than the other, so getting it back in service is not a high priority.

However, I recommend the two action approach if you have only one piano in a concert hall that get's all sorts of programming. It solved a lot of voicing problems for us and generated a lot of kudos from the faculty for me and my department. Of additional value was the fact that I learned a hell of a lot by doing it.

I don't have time to answer all your questions -- you posed most of the important ones -- but I will say that we bought (from Steinway) an oversized key frame (Kluge) with keys mounted but nothing else attached. Along with the keyframe came all the parts (oversized) needed to attach a  hammer action to the frame, which also came from Steinway. We did all the work at Oberlin, and had Steinway's approval and assistance (Mike Mohr answered many questions for me when the head scratching got too frantic).

One of the most interesting quirks was that the old keyframe was a Pratt Reed which has a smaller octave than the Kluge (3/8" difference over the entire span), so  each action had to have its own treble, cheek block.

That's only the start of the peculiarities I ran into. If you want to call me about it, I'd be glad to talk with you. I've also been asked to teach that class in chapter seminars. I must admit, however, it has a limited appeal because not too many people would ever have the need to install a second action in a piano.   Ken Sloane, Oberlin Conservatory

--------------------------------------
Date: 12/10/98 8.28 AM
To: Kenneth Sloane
From: caut@ptg.org
Hello CAUT and Ken Sloan (if you're out there),
      I recall Ken Sloan teaching in a class on how he built a second 
action for a concert grand at Oberlin so that pianists could have two
options of voicing with one piano.  What I want to know is, has anyone
else done this?  How much does it cost?  Who did the keyset, keyframe,
action rails etc?  Did both actions use NY hammers or other "genuine
parts"?  How well did this work?  What unexpected pitfalls were there? 
Was Steinway willing to do this?  How much of the work could you do
yourself?  Where do you store it?  Has it made your job a headache in
anyway, (i.e. artists making you pull the action twenty times so they
can make up their mind which one to use)?  This would make a great
Journal Article.  
     I am seriously considering making a recommendation to do this given
that artists can't agree on how bright a piano should be, and we have
one D which must please all.
Thanks in advance
-Mike Jorgensen RPT
School of Music, Central Michigan University.

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