[Non-player recollections follow after this] The Seventies: Universal hosted a combination chapter meeting and tour for the Los Angeles Chapter in 1970-something. Their plant was located in an industrial complex in the West Valley. Somewhere in a "safe" place I have a certificate of that visit. So far this reply hasn't gone anywhere. It may never! Without taking anything away from Universal, this is what I remember: - I had enough to consider with 'regular' pianos, so wasn't open-minded enough; - as a market share, (new) players were already on the decline (although the -totally- rebuilt used market seemed healthy and prosperous in L.A.); - the closest new player competition was Aeolian's Memphis-based pumper console, and Kimball's drop-action diesel-electric submarine (Harveyism meaning I felt they would sink... they did); - Universal's plant was quite modest (no ideas for me to steal and incorporate); - there was lots of extruded aluminum lying about; - didn't like the faux stained glass on the cases, or any of the ornate stuff (fluff) that went along for the ride; - instruments were quite boxy looking, because of all the ornate add-on's (overkill). - didn't like the "wet look" high-gloss finish over open-pore wood. As Ric the Moody mentioned, and if I'm using "tighter" in the correct context, this was one of Universal's benchmarks. The memories are fading, but I seem to recall someone pumping up a head of ... vacuum, then walking away while the unit continued to play. Does that sound right? Digression: Come to think of it, I knew less but was more cynical of products then than now. NOT! Other memories of the period: - pianotech's own Newton Hunt and Norm Neblett did a joint all-day seminar for us at USC, and I for one walked away with a huge new bag of tricks as a result! [intentionally buried here to see if Newt's paying attention]; - Global: problems with quality of raw materials. Pianos made noise, and actions worked, providing you didn't mind if "close" was close enough to the note being tuned or played, 'cuz on anything over 'mf';, the hammer would hit the wrong string. - Anything was fair game for trapwork and linkages, whether the pedals did what they were supposed to or not (usually not). - loved Mason & Hamlin's 'A' , 'BB' and model 52 upright. Didn't like Standard almost-hammer felt, Ronson hammers, Emralon, or "felt" knuckles and butt leathers; - liked Knabe (in their place, just so it wasn't my place). Didn't like high counterbearing, or see the need for 47 keyframe glides; - Liked Story & Clark as a dollar value -- didn't like Storytone all-mahogany soundboards, although the later SMS 'sandwich' boards worked out better; - Aeolian was still playing General Motors to the industry with 17 different brand names (chicken in every pot, piano in every wet basement); - Sohmer was good $$ stuff, providing you didn't need a replacement part -- no two units were alike! - Wurlitzer's Holly and Ogden facilities were having more than their share of QC problems -- strings on wrong hitches, two strings sharing wrong hitch, and shared unisons 3 strings away. Failure to seal insides of cabinet panels, causing "implosions" due to unequal moisture absorption. Then there were the tuning pins too close to plate struts (or to each other) to get a tuning tip on... and of course the famous (and dangerous) "long becket" situation; - Yomama and Kiwi were beginning to make significant in-roads, in spite of using what the locals called "rice glue" for assembly. (We later found out why parts were falling off, and it wasn't bad glue); - Baldwin was a closed shop (dealer level), but some of the older "public domain" units would make cold chills run up one's spine. Probably just as well, since later units didn't. I really don't know why those earlier offerings were "fixed"; -Young Chang and Samick? Probably just a vision at the time; - Some PSO's from the Phillipines -- didn't even survive the relatively short trip; - S&S? Y'all know that story. - others? Yes, but this is already too long. See, told 'ya the reply wasn't going anywhere! At 07:24 AM 3/23/99 -0500, you wrote: ><<"I would like to know more about the pneumatic player. There was a shop in >LA that produced them back in the mid 80's. Had aluminum decks. >Universal was the name. The tightest most sensitive pumper I have ever >come across. I saw these in Kolher and Cambell 50 inch uprights. >Pumper Ric ">> > >Uh OK, It was brown and had round fluted wineglass shaped legs from key bed >to toeplate. Sorry that is the best I can do as the thingee was still in >shipping wrapper, but the finish was very nice. I'll let ya know more when I >do. >Jim Bryant (FL) Jim Harvey, RPT Greenwood, SC harvey@greenwood.net ________________________ -- someone who's been in the field too long.
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