AB Chase Sostonuto question

[Michael Magness]

On 10/3/07, Andrew and Rebeca Anderson <anrebe at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> Maybe fishing line would be tougher without adding noise?
>
> Andrew
>
> At 10:13 PM 10/3/2007, you wrote:
>
> Greetings all --
>
> I serviced a 93 year old A. B. Chase upright this afternoon. I was told
> that it was over three years since it was last serviced. Surprisingly, I
> found it pretty much at pitch. Hammers a little more worn than I would have
> liked but all still serviceable. Dampers a little squished but not yet hard.
> And in need of some tender regulation. When I finished tuning it I was
> really amazed at how good this piano still sounds. It has been in this
> family for over 50 years and they have never done anything to it but have it
> tuned so I'm guessing it's all original parts. The action was even designed
> to compensate the lost motion when the soft pedal is used. Very nice.
> Anyway, why am I posting? The middle pedal on this piano is a sostonuto, and
> it's not working. I found that the sostonuto design featured a thick cotton
> thread, (just under 1mm thick), that got lifted up in order to catch the
> tabs on the dampers. This thread was broken at every tie point and so the
> sostonuto no longer works. Today's question: What would you recommend I
> replace this thread with? I thought of using a piece of piano wire but
> second guessed it on account of if that had been a good idea than why didn't
> the manufacturer do the same thing.
>
> Ideas?
>
> -- Geoff Sykes
> -- Los Angeles
>
>
> Hi Geoff,
The Andersons hit it on the nose. I've seen/worked on the old Baldwin
uprights with the sustenuto and that's what we always used either a good
thick fishing line or a thin string trimmer line pulled taut and either tied
or CA'd at the tie points. Fishing line and trimmer line don't always tie
very well whan you're also trying to keep the line taut, so the CA may work
better

Mike
-- 
You never truly understand something until you can explain it to your
grandmother. --Albert Einstein

Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
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