Sarahs Wissner Questions

[Sarah Fox]

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Hi Dale,
                      I was just catching up on some old mail and found =
this. As to your question as to wether the Wissner is a direct Stwy =
clone of 1933 vintage I wanted to point out 1933 vintage Stwy D's had =
uneven speaking lengths in the first capo section and , yes uneven =
duplex speaking lengths as well.
Cool!  Everyone's been staring at me strangely when I've told them this. =
 My Wissner's speaking lengths are uneven throughout both capo sections, =
although the unevenness in the second section is minor.  The lower and =
upper ends of the capo bar are approx. 5 degrees different in angle.
            From conversations with others the idea was to create a =
different tone color but itconsequently sacrificed power.
I believe my piano may suffer somewhat in power in the first capo =
section, although not all that much, IMO.  Of course I don't really know =
the power the piano would deliver if the unisons were equal length.
   On the S&S D I'm currently installing a new belly system and decided =
to change it back to even lengths as most Ds end up in large venues that =
require power.
Fortunately my piano doesn't have the same power demands -- although =
it's quite powerful.  How does one alter the capo bar, anyway?  Is it a =
matter of grinding off the old one, grinding a new bar, and affixing it =
with epoxy?  This would be a job for long in the future, if ever, but I =
would like to keep this remedy on my wish list.
  I was curious since Wissners are varitible clones if yours had this =
feature? Also ,not having had the pleasure of seeing any of these pianos =
here on the west coast , does it really sound like a S&S D or close?
Off hand, I would say "yes."  Bear in mind that my piano has a lot of =
problems that have not yet been addressed, but it has a very promising =
sound to it -- very rich and full, and yes, very powerful.  If you ever =
come through Columbus, OH, I'd be happy to show it to you.

My Wissner originally had a Nickel action, and I suspect there are some =
scaling differences.  I have quite a number of wound trichords in the =
bass, for instance (7 single, 4 double, 9 triple), and the breaks might =
be positioned slightly differently -- 20/21, 51/52, 68/69.  The frame =
piece to which the capo bar is attached (forget the terminology) extends =
all the way to the bass (sans the capo bearing points below the treble, =
of course).  I don't know if the vintage D's also had this feature.  As =
far as I can tell, everything else is very much like a D.  Let's just =
say it's similar enough that an unscrupulous technician was interested =
in purchasing the piano to restore it and sell it as a counterfeit D, =
complete with Steinway decals, removal of the cast "Wissner" logo on the =
plate, etc.  Fortunately I came along and rescued it before that could =
happen.  <wink>
   I wonder if Wissner was sued or bought out.
I have heard very little about Wissner's history.  I suspect Otto =
Wissner was very much a one-man show and was probably therefore a =
terrible businessman.  It comes across in an earlier catalog of his that =
I have.  He was also apparently preoccupied with building in quality =
that his customers may not have even needed or wanted -- e.g. =
tropicalization.  I don't get the impression he would be the sort who =
could be bought out, for instance by the American Piano Company.  It's =
not difficult for me to imagine how his business perished.  Again, I =
don't have much in the way of facts.  It's just a "feeling" I have about =
the man.

It is my understanding that Wissner and Steinway had a very good =
relationship.  Wissner once worked in the Steinway plant, studying =
Steinway's manufacturing practices, and then with Steinway's blessings =
he opened his own factory down the road.  I have heard, but don't know =
if it's true, that Wissner and Steinway might even have manufactured =
some parts for each other.  Wissner wasn't capable of turning a tiny =
fraction of Steinway's volume, so I don't think he was of particular =
concern to Steinway.  He of course also didn't have the name.

Thanks for the feedback regarding the vintage D.  Please let me know how =
the replacement capo works out!

Peace,
Sarah

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