Bone keytops

[A440A@aol.com]

Doug Hershberger  writes, commenting on Ronnie Milsaps piano keys.

>It was in to have a replacement
>keyboard. I understand that old keyboard is hanging on a wall >in a club in
>Nashville or somewhere like that.

Actually, the  keys are somewhere in a club that Ronnie owns,(maybe in
Texas),  but the piano is here in Nashville.  It fell to me to install a set
of keys that Yamaha was sending.  This piano has the midi system in it, and
besides the usual tolerances required of keys, the blades on the bottom of
the keys had to fit into the narrow slots of the sensing unit.

    I am here to tell everyone,  that the set of keys was amazingly close to
the original. It took two hours to unpack, set, key ease, space and level
this entire set.  I had to do virtually nothing!.
       Ronnie is blind, but he can tell the difference of .003" in the key
level, so I did need to level them carefully, but all in all, the keys were
almost a drop-in item.  (the capstan screws were almost at the right height!!
 geez.)

      The original keys were a mess also, because as part of his stage act,
he plays the piano with his boot heel.  I have replaced the hammers on the
top four notes twice,  but he actually can control a glissando with a cowboy
boot!        ah!! show business.....
regards,
Ed Foote