[Files] FW: chickering quarter grand damper configuration

[Kendall Ross Bean]

From: Kendall Ross Bean [mailto:kenbean at pacbell.net]
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 12:54 AM
To: 'Pianotech List'
Subject: RE: chickering quarter grand damper configuration

Charles~

(You didn't say what scale/model # your 1/4 grand was, but here goes...)

If it's anything like the scale 121 I did, it certainly seems the  
"previous tech" who did your piano was just slavishly duplicating what  
the factory originally put there. (Which is what I also did, slavishly  
trying to duplicate the original; not yet feeling up to re-engineering  
the damper configuration or questioning the competence of the original  
scale designers. -I will leave that up to our esteemed,  illustrious,  
and eminently qualified colleague, Dr. Nossaman, or one of his peers  
on this listserve...).

The scale 121 Chickering quarter grand I rebuilt was pretty much all  
original parts (including damper felts). It was a circa 1904 serial #  
104426. Approx 5' 6" or 5' 7",  25 bass.
What I wrote down in my notebook for original damper configuration was:

Bass (below break): wedges (single, bichord and trichord) in front,  
pads (flat felts) in the rear. (Yep, that's right, pads in back.)

Treble(above break): Pads (flat felts) both front and back, all the  
way up in treble. (I double-checked; weird, but that's what it was.)

Yes, strange, isn't it? Perhaps they wanted the piano to have a little  
more "reverb?"

The point being, at least on my Scale 121, they weren't averse to  
using pads on the wound (bass) strings (although they subsequently  
changed this configuration on later pianos, see below re: Scale 133.)  
However, note that the wound strings below the break on Scale 121  
still had wedges in the front, it was just above the break that there  
were pads on both front and rear.

This scale 121, however, had no wound strings above the break. (There  
were 63 plain wire unisons above the break.) Sounds like maybe your  
1/4 grand isn't a Scale 121...?

The string sizes were written in pencil on the plate, and were  
identical to what I measured with the micrometer when I removed the  
(original) strings. Also checked them with Travis' Restringing Guide.  
Tuning pins, curiously were tapered: 2 3/8" x .268 at the foot of the  
thread to .282 at the top. Blued pins.

I also rebuilt/have notes on, a Scale 133 Chickering quarter grand,  
circa 1915 serial #125794 approx. 5' 8".  25 bass hammers. Again,  
pretty much all original (strings, tuning pins, damper felts, etc.)

It also had 63 plain unisons (but different string sizes than the  
scale 121.) There were no wound strings above the break on this one  
either. The bass string configuration was similar to what was on the  
"Scale 121": 9 single strings, 10 bichords, 6 trichords.

This one (Scale 133) had the standard single,  bichord, and trichord  
wedges on both front and rear of the damper heads in the bass.

But in the treble there were wedges in the front for the 1st 14  
dampers up from the break, wedges in the rear for the first 12 up from  
the break, and the rest were pads (flat felts).

Tuning pins on Scale 133 were parallel sided, rather than tapered, #  
2/0. Still blued.

Trust Chickering to do something different each time.

What is the scale # on your quarter grand plate?

Enclosed are some photos of the Scale 121, sorry about the picture  
quality, it was back before I got my digital camera...In one of the  
photos hopefully you can see a close up of the damper felts from the  
rear...all pads/flat felts, even in the bass....

If you need, I will see if I can dig up some photos of the Scale 133...

~Kendall Ross Bean

PianoFinders
www.pianofinders.com
e-mail: kenbean at pianofinders.com

Connecting Pianos and People

P.S. Because the strings are so close together on these quarter  
grands, VERY narrow dampers are needed. The last damper felt I used on  
one these was the Japanese Upright Damper Felt Strips from Pianotek,  
which I custom cut to length (these are horizontal cut grain - Part  
number FDJ-U1, FDJ-U2, FDJ-U3 and FDJ -UT. They worked very well.) I  
have also used the Schaff # 1550, 1551 and 1552, in the past, but that  
is vertically cut felt. I believe horizontally cut felt is what was  
originally used.

Photos at:

http://tinyurl.com/57phnt

https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/files/2008-July/000306.html



From: CHARLES BECKER [mailto:cbeckercpt at verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2008 6:46 AM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: chickering quarter grand

While the minds are on the chickering quarter grand,  what is the  
correct damper felt configuration for the wound tri-cords below and  
above the break.  This particular piano had the damper felts replaced  
but the tech used flat felts front and back on the wound tri-cords.   
This can't be correct.  Needless to say, this one is a bleeder.  any  
help would be appreciated.
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