Stephen- Wow! I hit paydirt with your answers! I'll get the string measurements to you soon. The sound of this instrument is not very lively. I shouldn't have made that comment about the maker; it is second hand information. Perhaps he just doesn't have time for it. In any case, I meant to communicate that since it isn't a top notch reproduction, I feel justified in working on it with my limited knowledge and experience. I think I can make it play again. For tuning, my preference would be solid quarter sawn maple. I'll be very interested in your response to the current scale. Many thanks! Ed ---------- >From: "Stephen Birkett" <sbirkett@real.uwaterloo.ca> >To: <caut@ptg.org> >Subject: Re: Fortepiano pinblock material >Date: Mon, Mar 25, 2002, 8:06 AM > > Ed continued: > >> The rim and belly are doing well. They are under compression, and > well >> braced. The pinblock bows in the center, because there is no support. > Later >> instruments had metal gap spacers to the belly rail. > > Not all originals had gapspacers. Some had a wooden gapspacer. > >> There's no room to add them in this instrument. > > *If* you want to add one it is generally not impossible, even as a > retro-fit, to do so, and cram together the stirnging on either side. > >> If the new pinblock doesn't give at all, perhaps >> there would be more stress on the sides of the case. > > I don't think that is an issue. > >> I do think it would be better to return to the original scale unless >> there is historical evidence for the higher tension scale. I'm not sure > how >> I could research this. > > As I said last message send me the stringing data and I'll put it into my > spreadheet. > >> I know Delignit isn't a historic material. From what I understand, > this >> particular model is not held in high esteem by current fortepianists. > It's >> owner would ideally replace it with something more historically > up-to-date, >> but can't afford it. > > Is that the pinblock material at the moment? Whatever repair is eventually > done, differences in material cost will turn out to be negligible. It is > pretty much negligible in the cost factoring for an original reproduction, > too. Money all goes to the labour. > > With this Zucky piano authenticity is a secondary issue, since it is a > modern hybrid by design anyway. It is more important to adapt and get a good > tone out of it. Rememeber it is over-built, not under-built, and tends to > sound constipated. > >> The original builder of this instrument, who is now a >> top name in the field, refuses to repair it, as it is below his current >> standards of authenticity. > > Tell us who that is. > > Such a repair should not be refused (barring time constraints), unless they > don't think they can improve it, and are advising the owner that the repair > is not justified. > >> So, if I can make it work again, I can live with the loss of authenticity. > > Definitely the _main_ issue - make it sound better. > >> I think if stiffer pinblock material makes a difference, it would >> increase power and sustain a little, probably not very much in this >> instrument. > > I think you need to analyse the instrument as a whole to see where efforts > would best be addressed and moeny spent. > > Stephen > > Stephen Birkett Fortepianos > Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos > 464 Winchester Drive > Waterloo, Ontario > Canada N2T 1K5 > > tel: 519-885-2228 > mailto: sbirkett@real.uwaterloo.ca >
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