AB Chase Concert Grand

[Dean May]

>From a structural standpoint, the beams go in the direction of the loading.
Think about how the strings are wanting to fold up the piano. That is what
the beams are resisting. So running a beam transverse to that direction of
loading will have negligible effect on strength. It would make the overall
frame more rigid, but it doesn't really need more rigidity in that
direction.

On nine foot pianos you will see some stubby beams like you are proposing.
There the beams are getting long enough that some extra lateral rigidity is
needed.


Dean

Dean May             cell 812.239.3359
PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272
Terre Haute IN  47802

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf
Of Cy Shuster
Sent: Monday, April 05, 2004 8:44 AM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: AB Chase Concert Grand

Phil,

No treble bell at all (picture of bracing attached).  I sure don't
understand what those things are supposed to do.  Why have that extra
support up front, and then leave practically the whole straight part of the
rim disconnected from everything?  The braces fan out, mostly parallel to
the strings.  Why not a short perpendicular brace to the middle of the rim?

My understanding of a ring bridge is one where the bass and treble sections
are connected with a short curved segment (like Shigeru Kawaii 9' grands).
On this one, the bridges are separate, but the bass bridge extends past the
lowest string about 5", curving back toward the keyboard.

--Cy--


----- Original Message -----
From: "Phillip Ford" <fordpiano@earthlink.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 12:17 PM
Subject: Re: AB Chase Concert Grand


> Cy,
>
> I recently restrung one of these.  The plate's sort of like the big
> Steinways to accomodate the ring bridge.  Those were English loops
> on each string back there on the piano that I did. Serial number 62770
which
> I somehow concluded was 1920.  They seemed to make about 1000 pianos a
year
> as best I could tell, which would put your piano around 1942.  The one
that
> I did had a heavy metal bell under the treble end about where the Steinway
> bell would be.  But unlike the Steinway bell, which is cantilevered off
the
> rim, this one spanned between the rim and bellyrail.  Does your piano have
> that?
>
> Phil Ford
>
> At 08:02 AM 4/1/2004, you wrote:
> >List,
> >
> >Here's another interesting piano in the shop: an A. B. Chase concert
> >grand.  The first few notes of the treble bridge pass under plate webbing
> >at the tail, and have hitch pins way back by the rim (see photo).  Its
> >serial number is around 84,000, which doesn't have a clear indication in
> >Pierce.  Any ideas as to the year?  The fallboard logo says "A. B.
Chase."
> >in block letters, with a period at the end, and appears to have been
> >hand-painted.
> >
> >--Cy Shuster--
> >Rochester, MN
>
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