AB Chase Sostonuto question

[Willem Blees]

Geoff

Have you considered dental floss? It's strong and a little on the stiff side, to grab the tabs.


Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
Honolulu, HI
Author of 
The Business of Piano Tuning
available from Potter Press
www.pianotuning.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Geoff Sykes <thetuner at ivories52.com>
To: Pianotech at Ptg. Org <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 5:13 pm
Subject: AB Chase Sostonuto question



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


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