You're right, Susan. Ron N. started this title "blank". I didn't know if it was because of my minunderstanding of the Subject "Re" or rather he had nothing better to say. However, his message of Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 21:23:04 -0600 has sparked some nostalgia. My response of Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 00:11:18 -0500 prompted you to ask; >John, I don't remember Duofulcrum keys ... can you tell me what brand >that was? And how did the keys have two fulcrums? As you know, most balance rails are flat across the top with the punchings providing the pivot.. Heintzman figured that introducing two "peaks", or continuous quarter-rounds, one for the white and one for the black keys, would accelerate key movement.... thus, duofulcrom. Get it? >Brings back pleasant memories. The "Bell Metal Tone" was good, as I >remember it. Bell Metal Tone caused consumers to believe that their soundboard would never crack! Did they believe it was metal? How about rust? >"Great is the Privilege of Achievement", if I remember correctly (after 20 >years) came from the _very_ mediocre company who also put "Nulli >Secundus" on the fallboard just below their name. I used to translate >that as meaning, "None are second to it." <grin> I've never seen this one! >I just recently tuned a Heintzman short upright ... really more like a >console, from about 1967. Interesting to see that age of Heintzman, >which I never had before. As a console, it was extremely decent, though >it had some sluggish hammers and the lower bass strings were dull. >Inside the lid, I found them calling it a "Grand in Vertical Form." They >still had the cast iron strut with holes for the strings to go through, >which seemed to work quite well. But, putting out a piano of that size, >they were already a shade of their former selves ... too bad. > >Susan Kline Heintzman had moved from Toronto to Hanover, Ontario around 1961. I worked there in late '63 for a few months. I believe they owned a few shares in BPA (British Piano Action) in Wales. They had retail stores throughout Canada until 1979. They also built the small Nordheimer and Gerhard Heintzman pianos. Quality wasn't nearly as good after the move. Sklar-Peppler, a Hanover furniture maker, took over in the early '80's for about five years and built a real fine piano. The finest of all Heintzman pianos were built from about 1900 to 1925, not to be confused with the lesser rated Gerhard Heintzman piano, also of Toronto, a distant relative of Theodore Heintzman. (a long-winded) John Lillico, RPT, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
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