no bridal straps!

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "pianolover 88" <pianolover88@hotmail.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 10:52 PM
Subject: no bridal straps!


> Maybe I've just never notiiced, but  this is a first for me. Brought home
a
> customers'  Whitney spinet action for the basic file/reshape job. Wasn't
> till I got it home and on the cradle that I noticed, much to my surprise,
> the complete ABSENCE of bridal straps. It appears that they were NEVER
> installed. (Cost cutting measure, no doubt) Granted, this is the cheapest
of
> the cheap spinets, circa 70's, but still i have never seen this before. Is
> this a rare sighting? Obviously, the action, for what it is, seems to
> function fine without them.
>
> Terry Peterson

    No bridal straps is right!  They're bridle straps.  ("Bridal" has to do
with brides.)  But back to topic, yes, there are plenty of vertical actions
that will play just fine without bridle straps.  But only if regulated
properly, especially concerning lost motion, let-off and backchecking.  The
main function of the straps is to keep the jacks from falling under the
butts when the action is removed.  They apparently also help repetition with
certain kinds of hammer blows, but are not crucial to the functioning of the
action.
    It's somewhat rare to find an action without them, but not unheard of.
I can't remember how the jacks are prevented from jamming all the hammers
against the strings when the action is replaced in the piano, though ....
    --David Nereson, RPT