[pianotech] Grand Treble Bell

[John Musselwhite]

I didn't see any other responses to this, so here goes.

At 09:10 PM 08/09/02 -0700, Del wrote:
>Does this item have a specific / proper name?
>
>
>If there is, I don't know it. I've always heard it referred to as "the bell."

US Patent #314740 - Mar 31, 1885  CFT Steinway - Grand Treble Bell.

In "The Steinway Saga", Fostle mentions that the bell was inspired by the 
"Helmholtz Resonator" and indeed, I've also heard the treble bell called by 
that name, though it's a misnomer.

Steinway wasn't the only company using the bell, despite the patent. 
Yesterday I had the pleasure(?) of tuning an extremely worn-out 5 foot 
something 1902 Schomacher with steel beams instead of wooden ones 
underneath as well as a totally worn-out Steinway-style action inside. It 
too had a treble bell in it just like the larger Steinways.

Incidentally, this little grand had the shortest backscale in the bass of 
any piano I've ever seen. So short that the loop windings appeared to be 
shorter than usual to keep them from reaching the bridge. Other than that 
and the steel beams it looked very much like a Steinway from the rim right 
down to the plate that had "Duplex Scale" cast into it, though there were 
no rear duplexes and no evidence of there having been any before it was 
re-whatevered sometime in the past.

Are there many of these Schomachers around? I'd read about them somewhere, 
but had never seen one before.

                 John


John Musselwhite, RPT    -     Calgary, Alberta Canada
http://www.musselwhite.com  http://canadianpianopage.com/calgary
Pianotech IRC chats Tuesday and Thursday nights and Sunday Mornings
http://www.bigfoot.com/~kmvander/ircpiano.html