Unusual Grand Rim

[Farrell]

Any idea functionally how this differs from a one-piece standard laminated inner rim?

Terry  Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robin Hufford" <hufford1@airmail.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 1:28 AM
Subject: Re: Unusual Grand Rim


> This is the design used on the 135 Chickering from the factory.  The piano is probably from the twenties and, also probably, from the American Piano Co period, which ended in, I think, 1929, with a bankruptcy and a subsequent rescue by Aeolian.   As I have said before, there seems to be no other company that even comes close to Chickering, despite its various financial arrangements, which has so thoroughly explored some of the possibilities of piano design.
> Regards, Robin Hufford
> 
> Farrell wrote:
> 
> > Serviced a Chickering grand #141260 (haven't looked up year yet - it's old). The piano was about 5-1/2 feet long and had 135/24 cast into it down near the bass hitch pins.
> >
> > Looking from the bottom, it had a normal looking laminated inner rim. However, the normal inner rim only extended from the rim bottom to about half way to the underside of the soundboard. Between the top of the normalish rim and the bottom of the soundboard was a separate piece of wood (couldn't tell if it was laminated or what - I suppose it was because of the bends it goes through) that had numerous screws going through it and securing it to the outer rim. There were also dowels going in from the bottom of the rim assembly, through the normalish inner rim and presumably into the add-on type upper inner rim.
> >
> > What the heck is going on with that piano? Clearly it is original type work - does not have any hints of being some weird misguided add-on thing. Any ideas on purpose?
> >
> > I'll bet some of those Chickering folks had a blast trying out many new ideas on pianos!
> >
> > Terry Farrell
> >
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> 
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