birdcages

[Barrie Heaton]

In article <20000211.162541.-84659.1.Bases-Loaded@juno.com>,
bases-loaded@juno.com writes
>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.

My word and  I tuned 6 of them last week and I would rather tune a
Birdcage  than a Russian Regar  piano.  

>
>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!
>
Yes they can and do some of the overstrung ones are nice pianos
however,  they will never be as good as underdamping that is why we
stop making them. BTW it is not 100 years age  HB was making them up
to the 1950.s the spring and loop action was made up to 1910 they are
bad and are the ones to be  found  in side pianos with really nice cases -
which end up in the USA as collector's pretty boxes with strings in.  


>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 use a paps wedge but if you mute then try this: 

1. Remove the action (You may just be able to tilt it toward you)
2. Mute every other gap.  This leaves two strings free in each tri chord.
You must adjust for the singles and BI-chords.

3. With another felt strip, mute the other groups.  This leaves the centre
string in each tri-chord as the only open string.

4. Replace the action and tune in the normal manner.

5. To adjust the unisons, remove one felt strip.  This allows you to tune
alternating left or right strings in the tri chords.  You may or may not
have to tilt back the action to remove the strip.

6. Remove the other strip and tune the other unison string, 

Hope this is of some help

Barrie,
-- 
Barrie Heaton               Ý The U.K. Piano Page: 
http://www.a440.co.uk       Ý http://www.uk-piano.org/ 
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