Pianotech

  • 1.  Removing the fallboard

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-04-2011 15:46
    Hi all.

    I have encountered, and will be in possession of, a S&S A - former player piano - Model A.

    Can someone inform me how to remove the fallboard from this piano? Obviously, it is not attached to the cheeks, and it appears to be pinned to the case on both sides. There are slots in the fallboard for it to slip in and out of..at least that's what they appear to be for, but how to remove it..I'm asking.

    Thanks.

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    Phil Bondi
    FL
    phil@philbondi.com
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  • 2.  RE:Removing the fallboard

    Posted 04-04-2011 17:01
    I ran into a similar situation.
    I found that a metal bar slid in the slot you see. I half opened the lid, and a screw was then seen, that I removed. Then the lid slid out.
    The bar was attached to the piano side by a screw.
    I should have taken a picture, as it is better to see.
    This is my second try, the first one I just used the reply function of my e-mail, then I noticed the sidebar to this message.   Duhhh

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    John M. Ross
    Ross Piano Service
    Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
    jrpiano@eastlink.ca


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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE:Removing the fallboard

    Posted 04-04-2011 19:11
    John, Phil,

    Ran into the same fallboard thing just last week on a 1933 Wheelock Grand. Last tuning on this piano was in 1988 by me and had been moved from room to room several times. -5 cents was where it was at. Oh, if other pianos were so stable, I'd be out of business  :-))

    Keith McGavern, RPT
    http://soonertuner.kamcam.com/
    http://pianostuff.kamcam.com/
    Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA
    tune-repair@allegiance.tv
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  • 4.  RE:Removing the fallboard

    Posted 04-05-2011 06:38
    A 6'1" DuoArt is model XR which is an M in disguise. The added length comes from the addition of the spool compartment.

    The screws that secure the pivot bars can be accessed by tipping the f/b 45 degrees. After the f/b is pulled, the bars can remain attached to the case.

    Getting the f/b off is the easy part...
    To remove the action you will need to remove the lyre to gain access to the union block(s) hidden up inside the keybed, one of which is needed for the shift pedal. There are three blocks but two may have been eliminated in the gutting.


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    Regards,

    Jon Page


  • 5.  RE:Removing the fallboard

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-05-2011 06:52

    Hi Jon.

    Thanks for the Action removal tip. Usually you have to remove the lyre because The Bubba And Brutus Moving Co. decided 8" screws were a great replacement for the screws they just lost.


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    Phil Bondi
    FL
    phil@philbondi.com
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  • 6.  RE:Removing the fallboard

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-05-2011 07:28

    Hi Jon.

    Thanks for the Action removal tip. Usually you have to remove the lyre because The Bubba And Brutus Moving Co. decided 8" screws were a great replacement for the screws they just lost.


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    Phil Bondi
    FL
    phil@philbondi.com
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  • 7.  RE:Removing the fallboard

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-05-2011 08:00

    And Phil,

    If you're planning on removing the action, it could get far more complicated.  I was "up against one" once, called an expert (who was most helpful - Ferd Pointer) who gave me very detailed instructions for complete removal and re-installation of the action.  When I got there and started, things headed South very quickly.  There were far more things to be disconnected than I was prepared for.  I ended up backing out of the job, realizing I was in over my head.  I do not do players (other than gutting old unusable ones) and so it was more daunting for me than for someone with some experience.  Just a word of caution.

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    William R. Monroe
    Madison, WI
    www.a440piano.net
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  • 8.  RE:Removing the fallboard

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-05-2011 15:01
    Thanks William, and thank God Ferd is right up the road! This action has been out, but thanks again for The Word...

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    Phil Bondi
    FL
    phil@philbondi.com
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