Hey Dave! Isn't it true that the wealthyt clients will frequently have a Baldwin spinet? All in all, they're the only spinet worth any time....."No Steinway B here-- wouldn"t want "muffin" to use the leg much like a fire hydrant (if poodles can actually do that!) " With any luck, it's an earlier model-- always check the bass bridge- and it has a chance. By the time they got to the 'forks' at the end of each key and the elusive (and perpetually deteriorating) "wire-lifter-nuts", in the 70's- everything started "circling-the-drain": Well, it's somewhat like a car that you "just-can't get-rid-of-that-last-rattle". RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! :) Well, seriously, go into the service call with a flashlight, and any tools you might need to regulate. IT CAN BE FIXED! Check your spec's for the action, and work from top-to-bottom". Drop-actions aren't any fun to contend with, but the Acrosonic is about the most "technician-friendly": Rather than pulling the action, use that flashlight to visually look for foreign objects in the action. First, take up lost motion-- it's the single-most frequent cause of action problems- hand-in-hand with "hammer-blow-distance". . Expect that if the previous owner "played- it", it will be apparent when testing each note for regulation. Above all, make the piano the best that you can-- subject to the owner's willingness to " make-it-it's-best". Frequently, these people are the type that have their "personal assistant" schedule a tuning every few months. Other, equally wealthy folks on the same street ( MULTI million dollar domes) couldn"t give a rat's (you know what!) about a gorgeous Steinway "B" in need of attention to improve its value for the market, or for their "bottom-line". If you think that the Baldwin spinet is bad-- come see my "rusted-solid" S&S B!! I guess the whole mess is relative. It continues to be interesting, and inspires me to continue the tradition that preceeded us all---continue the fostering of the piano in society. It is truly an honor to be a part of this noble sojourn! Respectfully, Marshall Connolly (the OTHER Marshall)Original Message ----- From: piannaman at aol.com To: pianotech at ptg.org Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 10:29 PM Subject: Baldwin spinet "lost motion" issue twice in one week.... ...or "why I love spinet pianos!" First piano was in a multimillion dollar home. A little Baldwin spinet, this one with inverted sticker type action. The lady had purchased it for 400$ without any kind of consultation, and her husband and five if his friends had toted it up the stairs and into their castle. I was tuning away, and found one note that wouldn't regulate. Everything was there, but the lost motion ate up about a quarter inch of keydip. I looked for things that might be wedged in there, but I could find nothing. And I didn't have time to pull the action, having already spent most of the appointment pitch raising the pso and vacuuming out the various places where who-knows-what may have dwelt. Second piano, a just-delivered rental piano, had the same symptoms--again on only one note--but it was one of the newer type Baldwins with the rubber grommets hooked into the lifter fork, and the plastic nut on top. I checked linkage as much as I could, but could find nothing wedged anywhere on either instrument, though on the second one the connecter to the elbow was sitting up too high. Very frustrating. I explained to the owner and renter that this is one big reason why spinets in general should be avoided. Anybody experienced this? Thoughts on why this might occur? I'm convinced that there is something wedged inside that I can't see or get to without yanking the action, but any suggestions are more than welcome! Dave Stahl, RPT but humbled by Baldwins again Dave Stahl Piano Service 650-224-3560 dstahlpiano at sbcglobal.net http://dstahlpiano.net/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20070330/39d043e3/attachment.html
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