Pinblockless Wurlitzers

Bud Schwab budschwab@earthlink.net
Mon, 20 Nov 2000 18:12:00 -0800



If that's the type of Wurlitzer I am thinking of the pins are in kind of a 
teardropped shaped hole in the plate with no pinblock.  Tuning is a bit 
tricky, but you have to do a slight lifting motion with the hammer while 
tuning.  I haven't run across one of those for many a'year.  LGood luck.

Bud

At 08:32 PM 11/20/00 -0500, you wrote:
>I'm new to this cyber-stuff, so bear with me. I NEED SOME HELP!!!
>     A few weeks ago I checked out a 1929 Wurlitzer studio piano (it's a
>family original and has tons of sentamental value). The bass bridge is in
>bits; no biggie. But I noticed that the tuning pins were remarkably tight,
>and, although the piano hadn't been tuned in (they said) fifteen years, it
>wasn't all that whacked.
>     So we brought it into the shop to recap the bridge, and I took it apart,
>and  - - whoops! - - - no pinblock.
>     The pins are seated in the casting (I assume) and they have cute little
>wedges driven into them from the back (to splay them out somewhat?) I can
>tell it will be  challenge to tune, just because it FEELS so odd. . .but it
>seems to work.
>     My conundrum:  there are no backposts (just a heavy full-perimeter
>plate). I am nervous about dropping tension on the bass section to fix the
>bridge for two reasons. The first is, am I going to somehow dislodge the
>snugness of the tuning pins? and, second, am I going to have the darned thing
>collapse on me because there's no visible means of support (so to speak) to
>prevent uneven stress from becoming dangerously , well, dangerous?
>     Has anyone out there ever worked on one of these beasts? If so, I'd love
>to hear from you and get either encouragement or caution, or both.
>     Like I said, it's a family piano; otherwise I might pass on the job, 
> even
>though I'm this far into it.
>     I eagerly await responses!
>     Thanks!   Tom Patten, RPT
>         The Great Susquehanna Piano Co.      Milton, PA
>     TomRPT@aol.com

                                                 Bud Schwab
W 6 Z Y P
Malibu, california

                                                                 



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