[pianotech] Reverse una corda

[Barbara Richmond]

I was talking with my good friend Isaac Sadigursky this evening and among other things, we got onto the subject about actions that shift right to left (because that's what friends often talk about....). 

It is his understanding that the original design was indeed right to left, but since a grand piano is shipped on the bass side, this would put the weight of the action on the spring. Pianos either had the annoying habit of showing up at their destinations with broken shift springs or having the shift springs break shorty thereafter. Someone figured out the problem and shifting from left to right was born. It seems that Hardman was stubborn (maybe a result of having the name Hardman) and used the right to left motion for years after everyone else changed to left to right. 

There you have it. 

G'night. 

Barbara Richmond, RPT 
near Peoria, Illinois 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ken and Sharon Schneider" <1stpianoman at mchsi.com> 
To: pianotech at ptg.org 
Sent: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 4:27:08 PM 
Subject: [pianotech] Reverse una corda 

I am working on a poorly refinished 5'1" grand, which I know is obviously of 
a lesser grade. (No agraffes, faux sustenuto, pedals with unusual box 
construction. The una corda pedal shifts the action to the left, not the 
right. In 20 years, I've only had one piano like that and it was a Hardman 
which seemed to be of better quality. I am somewhat concerned about taking 
the action out for fear that parts might fall off or other problems could 
occur. Does anybody know what I am working on? 
Ken Schneider 


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