Munck open-face pinblock - two parts?

[Farrell]

Most likely a wedge glued-on the front of the main on-piece pinblock. Don't 
know why there wouldn't be a bolt in the bass - looks like there is room for 
one - maybe no backpost there?

I just tuned a fabulous (worn out, but otherwise fabulous) 1902 Emmerson 
upright - open faced block with the small diameter rod set in wood as the 
upper termination in the plain wire section. The long bridge has no hockey 
stick at all and it has a transition bridge. The tuning feel was 
exceptional - the smallest nudge (actual turn) of the tuning pin would 
result in the smallest controllable change in string pitch - no flagpoling, 
no delay, no bending pins, no nothing - tiny bit of force applied with lever 
turned the pin a tiny bit and changed the pitch a controllable tiny bit - 
the best tuning piano I have ever tuned.

Unfortunately the strings kept breaking while trying to raise the pitch 3 
half-steps up to standard pitch (which the owner definitely wanted - she is 
a flute player). So the piano is available for free - beautiful fancy case, 
super-nice ivories, four string-scale-section plate, and overall the piano 
is in unusually good condition for its age. It would be a shame to let this 
one go to the dump - I have two old Steiway uprights and this piano has way 
more potential than them. Anyone?

Terry Farrell
Tampa Bay, Florida

----- Original Message ----- 
> Tuning the old German piano of a local musical figure of note today, I 
> mused
> about the pinblock. I am sorry about the quality of these pics, I only had
> my cellphone with me, not my good camera.
>
> I wondered, did they make the pinblock in two sections? There are five 
> bolts
> (one not in the pic) in the treble section and none in the bass. The bass
> section face is at a different angle, which you can just about see in the
> pics. It goes from about 1mm at the top to about 6mm at the bottom.  Is it 
> a
> whole plank, face in that way, or two bits? Why no bolts in the bass?
>
> The pics aren't good enough to see it, but the treble strings run over a
> brass (bronze?) rod about 1mm diameter.
>
> Best regards,
>
> David.
>