birdcages

[John Ross]

----- Original Message -----
From: <bases-loaded@juno.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2000 5:25 PM
Subject: birdcages


> Hello -
>
> After having the good fortune to have not run into a birdcage action in
> app. 10 years, I had the extreme misfortune to run into 2 of them this
> week.  I have basically two questions, although "what were they
> thinking?" also comes to mind.
>
> 1.  Do these actions ever damp well?  In both instances, the damper felt
> seemed soft enough, and was regulated properly, but the pianos sounded as
> if someone forgot to install dampers!

    I have never found one that damped properly. I sometimes find that the
action can be wedged closer to the strings, and this helps on the really bad
ones

> 2.  What is the most sane way to tune these critters?  I actually had to
> lean the actions back and pluck strings in the center section, as it was
> impossible to get mutes in there.  Do you lean it back and strip mute the
> whole thing?  I can't imagine a process that isn't unwieldy...

  I remove the felt strip for the soft pedal, that is found in some.  I use
the Papp's Mute, and my SAT, for every string. I don't even try to do them
the normal way, as I found it too frustrating.
At times people have me look at a piano, they are thinking on buying, if it
is a "Birdcage or Square Grand", I tell them, " don't even take it as a
gift".
I also warn them in advance, not to expect it to sound like a real piano. I
think I ran across one that surprised me, and wasn't too bad.

Regards,
John M. Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada.
>
> It is no great surprise to me that this design went out of favor 100
> years ago!
>
> Mark Potter
> bases-loaded@juno.com
>