Hi, Barb,
FWIW, I think that Ed is on the right track here.
Several centuries ago (e.g., much, much earlier in my career), I spent
entirely too much time finishing/rebuilding various "kit" instruments
from various suppliers. One the most consistently common denominators
was that the erstwhile "builder" failed to read the manual, and/or
failed to properly assess their various mechanical and woodworking
skills before diving in.
As a result of such lack of preparation, errors of the kind that are
present in the instrument you have are fairly common. Thus, checking
the length of the jack v. the register makes perfect sense. If it turns
out that the jacks fit the 8' and not the 4' register, then someone
needs to make some choices about whether to buy a set of jacks for the
8' register...or...perhaps to simply call it a day.
Since the instrument presently has no extrinsic value, the choice (for
me) would be between being able to make my normal shop rate, or not. If
the instrument has insufficient intrinsic value to the owner(s), maybe
you can burn it and make S'mores....just a thought.
Obviously, YMMV.
Kind regards.
Horace
On 6/9/2019 2:38 PM, Barbara Richmond via Piano Technicians Guild wrote:
> Please do not forward this message due to Auto Login.
>
> Hey Ed,
>
> Who knows what the story is. ??The instrument has two registers, but only one set of jacks (where I found them), one set of strings and it was never finished. I'm not finishing it either-and the customer doesn't want or care about a four foot choir. ??I looked at the other register, considered trying them there, but didn't. ??I guess I should.
>
> The spiel I was given is-a student at Juilliard bought the it from the school. He ended up going to Europe, so had his parents keep it at their house-in Bloomington, Illinois. They got tired of it, I guess, and gave it to the music minister at their church. He called me. ??It's been sitting in my shop for about a year. ??Yeah, well, I had shoulder surgery, and am just now getting around to it.
>
> ------------------------------
> Barbara Richmond, RPT
> near Peoria, Illinois
> ------------------------------
> -------------------------------------------
> Original Message:
> Sent: 06-09-2019 17:18
> From: Ed Sutton
> Subject: Zuckermann with organ keys
>
> Barb-
> Is there a chance these are the 4 foot jacks placed on the 8 foot strings?
>
> ------------------------------
> Ed Sutton
>
ed440@me.com <
ed440@me.com>
> (980) 254-7413
> ------------------------------
>
> Original Message:
> Sent: 06-09-2019 15:32
> From: Barbara Richmond
> Subject: Zuckermann with organ keys
>
> Hi,
>
> I thought this get-it-to-play job would be some new strings and a few adjustments, which goes to show how inexperienced I am.
>
> Well crud.?? It turns out that most of the jacks are cut too short--they're just hanging there by their dampers.
>
> I haven't contacted the owner to see how he feels about buying a new set of jacks, yet. Without being too much of a hack job, I was wondering what other options there might be like:
>
> 1--Adding the appropriate thickness of plywood to the backs of the keys, even though that means removing the cloth and re-doing it.
> ?? ?? ??Adding the thickness of plywood to the bottom of the key, though that would introduce a bit of a tilt, but there are weights in the backs of the?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??keys.
>
> 2--adding a layer of cloth to the back rail.?? I'm not so crazy about adding something soft that will compress, though.
>
> 3--I pulled out the keys; the frame doesn't seem readily adjustable. Maybe it is. but the screws sure aren't conveniently placed. Has anyone ever
> ?? ?? ??pulled one of these out?
>
> Oh golly.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thank you.
>
>
> ------------------------------
> Barbara Richmond, RPT
> near Peoria, Illinois
> ------------------------------
>
>
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Original Message------
Hey Ed,
Who knows what the story is. The instrument has two registers, but only one set of jacks (where I found them), one set of strings and it was never finished. I'm not finishing it either-and the customer doesn't want or care about a four foot choir. I looked at the other register, considered trying them there, but didn't. I guess I should.
The spiel I was given is-a student at Juilliard bought the it from the school. He ended up going to Europe, so had his parents keep it at their house-in Bloomington, Illinois. They got tired of it, I guess, and gave it to the music minister at their church. He called me. It's been sitting in my shop for about a year. Yeah, well, I had shoulder surgery, and am just now getting around to it.
------------------------------
Barbara Richmond, RPT
near Peoria, Illinois
------------------------------