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Young Chang

  • 1.  Young Chang

    Posted 03-28-2017 11:49
    Does anyone have updated contact information for Young Chang?

    I have a customer who needs replacement action brackets on their G157 1990s grand and the telephone
    numbers listed in the ptg resource guide do not answer. I sent an email to them but so far no response.

    Thanks for any help!


    ------------------------------
    Keith Hamilton
    Youngstown OH
    tuner@zoominternet.net
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 03-28-2017 12:15
    The email I have for parts is: sson@ycapiano.com. Is this the email you used to contact them?
    Paul McCloud




  • 3.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 03-28-2017 12:21
    That's not the same address I have . I will try that email.
    Thanks!

    ------------------------------
    Keith Hamilton
    Youngstown OH
    tuner@zoominternet.net
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 03-28-2017 15:25
    I thought I would update this thread to let everyone know what I found out about Young Chang and action brackets.

    I never got through on the telephone to them. I did however get an email from Sam Son. He stated that they are in the process of moving and I should get back in touch with him towards the end of April. He also stated they are out of new action brackets and my customer will have to wait at least two months for replacements.

    If I get any more updates or new phone numbers for Young Chang I will post them and let the PTG update the resource manual.

    Have a great day!

    Keith Hamilton RPT
    Youngstown, OH

    ------------------------------
    Keith Hamilton
    Youngstown OH
    tuner@zoominternet.net
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 03-30-2017 07:33
    I recently contacted YC about getting new brackets. Email response took a couple days. New brackets took 2 1/2 months.

    They do not offer any money for labor.

    Also, they told me the same thing about the brackets being out of stock. I'm guessing they make up only a few at a time because most of them have already been replaced by now. 

    This is the first replacement I've done (have seen just 2-3 in 18 years). Actually started the work yesterday. It's kind of fun, although this job is the one that takes a long time, since apparently many adjustments had been done to allow the action to function. 

    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany, MS





  • 6.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 03-30-2017 08:26
    Good to know that Sam Son is still on top of taking care of our customers. I have always found him to  been very polite and helpful.  Glad to see our forum continues serve the same purpose.

    ------------------------------
    Garret Traylor
    Trinity NC
    336-887-4266
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 03-30-2017 13:22
    I just did two of them. I also had to wait 2 and half months. But they were free.

    ------------------------------
    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 03-28-2017 15:31
    By the way, I read elsewhere on the internet that Young Chang is no longer reimbursing technicians for their work replacing bad action brackets. Does anyone know if this is true? I have not done a replacement for a few years but I told my customer I thought Young Chang would stand behind their product and pay me for my time. Perhaps the customer is stuck.

    Keith Hamilton RPT
    Youngstown, OH

    ------------------------------
    Keith Hamilton
    Youngstown OH
    tuner@zoominternet.net
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 03-28-2017 18:30
    Keith

    Young Chang hasn't paid to install new brackets for over 10 years.  They do, however send new ones when you give Sam the model and serial number of the piano.  

    I explain the problem to my customers and tell them paying me to do the work is still a lot cheaper than buying another new or used grand.  I've never had a customer say no. 

    Wim 

    ------------------------------
    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 03-28-2017 19:22

    New address, new phone number:


    -       1240 South Allec Street. Anaheim, CA92805

    -       Tel: 714-855-9858 


    ddf


    On Tue, Mar 28, 2017 at 3:30 PM, Willem Blees via Piano Technicians Guild



    --
    Delwin D Fandrich
    Piano Design & Manufacturing Consultant
    6939 Foothill Court SW, Olympia, Washington 98512 USA
    Email  ddfandrich@gmail.com
    Tel  360 515 0119  --  Cell  360 388 6525





  • 11.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 03-31-2017 11:44
    Thanks for the new contact information Delwin!

    I will give them a couple of weeks then call to order the brackets.

    Keith Hamilton RPT

    ------------------------------
    Keith Hamilton
    Youngstown OH
    tuner@zoominternet.net
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-04-2017 22:20
    Hi All, I have just been contacted by a client who needs to have the brackets replaced on his 20yr old YC G-150. I will go to see the piano in a couple of days.

    1) He says the action is frozen into the piano and has been advised that it will be necessary to break the old existing brackets in order to get the action out. Has anyone who has done this bracket replacement before encountered this? Where and how did you break the brackets? Any details will be much appreciated.

    2) The owner says that he already has the replacement brackets, so no issue of ordering them. But I am wondering about how much time it has taken people to install the replacements and get the piano working properly. 

    All of your comments will be much appreciated.

    Thanks,
    David

    ------------------------------
    David Trasoff
    Professional Piano Service
    Los Angeles CA
    david@professionalpianoservice.com 
    (323) 255-7783
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-04-2017 22:58
    I've never had to break the brackets, but I've heard that's the only way you can get the action of the piano. Try removing it first by lowering the glide bolts. The drop screws will scrape against the bottom of the pin block, which is OK, but be careful when the drop screws get to the edge of the stretcher, as they might scrape the finish right off. But if you have to, you'll need a hack saw to cut through the brackets, or you might be able to use channel locks to bend and break them.

    I would take the action back to the shop to do the work. Allow at least 3 hours to replace the brackets and regulate the action. Be sure to take string height before you leave. Then allow another hour for final regulation with the action in the piano. Plus trip charges.


    ------------------------------
    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-05-2017 00:46
    I ran into this one time.  Don't try to break the brackets - cut with a hacksaw.  The whole saw won't fit; use a short, course blade, in a vice grip, set to cut on the pull stroke.  Cut just below the hammer rail, on a downward slope, so that as you  pull the action out, and the hammer rail is held stationary by the drop screws imbedded in the pinblock, the hammer rail can  move downward and be freed.  As to hours, Wim's suggestion of 3 plus 1 is, in my opinion, a minimum.  Phil Glenn's original service bulletin from Young Chang says 4 to 6, and it could go longer.  Explain to the customer that the amount of time required will depend on how far out of regulation the action has become, and you won't know until the new brackets are installed and some preliminary regulation has been done.  Bruce Dornfeld wrote a comprehensive article on this in the August 2009 Journal.

    ------------------------------
    Michael Spalding
    Fredonia WI
    262-692-3943
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Young Chang

    Member
    Posted 04-05-2017 11:06
    How did the owner get the brackets and when did he get them ? May be he said he was a tech and gave them (YC) his serial number. Maybe he is a DIY type. How does he know the action will not come out ? If someone has been in it before the action will be all screwed up so let them know you are going to have to possibly do several hours of reg work.
    The wrong leg bolts in the front legs could be pushing up the action or it could catch on the cheek block screws. .

    You may be able to use a dremel tool to cut the brackets or at least part of the bracket to release some of the tension.
    The new brackets I used had a taller base which required longer screws you will have to have some new screws and may even have to make a small shim block.

    I suggest you take some pictures and post here for more feedback. You will also have to adjust the action spread after the new brackets are on

    ------------------------------
    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-06-2017 01:30
    Thank you all for the very useful comments so far - I will see the piano on Saturday and report further on the situation. I may well need the group mind to get the issue resolved.

    ----
    David Trasoff -- RPT
    Professional Piano Service
    Los Angeles, CA 90065
    Tel: 323-255-7783
    http://professionalpianoservice.com
    david@professionalpianoservice.com








  • 17.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 04-06-2017 10:28
    Just did this last week. It was my first YC bracket replacement job. It was super easy to break the brackets in this piano. I used a long punch. I'm guessing it's a nail punch and it's about 9 inches long. I picked it up last year in a tool purchase at an old auto parts place. You could use anything similar. Simple impact engineering! Haha. The brackets on mine broke very easily. I wouldn't bother with trying to get any saw in there unless yours don't break easily. (I brought stuff with me just in case.)

    This piano apparently had multiple adjustments over the years, as it was incredibly unregulated after the bracket replacement. It took about 8 hours for the replacement and regulation, and a bit less than two hours for the 50-60 cent pitch raise and tuning (tuned 3X).

    To aid in a "stuck action" removal, I first tried to slide it out with a thin sheet of polycarbonate placed over the hammers (bought at Lowe's for $3.00 from their leftover "scrap" section.) You could also use a thin sheet of metal or cardboard. Whatever sheet you use, it tends to force the hammers and drop screws below the pinblock. Just didn't work for this piano so I broke the brackets.

    There are instructions here in the files. Go to the Pianotech list and look in the Library. It's all the way at the bottom under "YC brackets" or some such name.

    ------------------------------
    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
    ------------------------------



  • 18.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-07-2017 09:44
    Instead of breaking the brackets to get the keyboard and action out, perhaps it's possible to remove the keybed.  In some pianos the keybed can be unscrewed.

    ------------------------------
    Zeno Wood
    Brooklyn, NY
    ------------------------------



  • 19.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 04-08-2017 07:07
    Yeah, you could possibly remove the keybed. However, you could just about break all the brackets in the time it would take to locate all the screws holding the keybed, not to mention unscrewing them. And figuring out how to support it enough to slide out the action that comes down with it.

    ------------------------------
    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
    ------------------------------



  • 20.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-09-2017 00:48
    The brackets broke very easily with a tap from a brass drift. Crumbled away in fact. I was able to collapse the stack enough to remove the action from the piano. The feet of the replacement brackets are a little thicker so the screws to fasten the stack to the keybed need to be replaced. This was all mentioned BTW in a Word doc available from YC describing the replacement procedure in considerable detail.




  • 21.  RE: Young Chang

    Member
    Posted 05-16-2017 20:18
    I got the replacement brackets for a G158 yesterday so today went to get the job started. I tried lowering the glide bolts but could not get the action out. At that point I took a dead blow hammer and used a long gasket scrapping tool that looks like a screwdriver.
    A few raps on the brackets took them out like peanut brittle. The action dropped significantly- the bass bracket is still intact. I had to break the second, third and fourth brackets to get enough clearance....


    ------------------------------
    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
    ------------------------------



  • 22.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 05-18-2017 07:22
    Peanut brittle is an apt description. I've only replaced one set of brackets, but it's clear from our collective experiences that there really is little risk when choosing to break the brackets.

    And it makes sense...the brackets are quite expanded as to need replacement. The metal structure that was once there is no longer strong because everything has expanded. Easy to break a metal like that.

    If the brackets don't break easily, then a plan B might be needed, and it's good to know plan B, and even plan C. But I'd certainly always try breaking them first.

    ------------------------------
    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
    ------------------------------



  • 23.  RE: Young Chang

    Member
    Posted 11-29-2020 22:13
    I took it upon myself to draw up in Sketchup 2D drawings for these brackets. I've got a client who needs new brackets so we can regulate the action so she can sell the piano, so I emailed and they mentioned out of stock parts, and a long wait. So I'm going to manufacture these out of maple pin block material. I'll cut out the shape on the bandsaw, and then resaw them in the thicknesses specified. Replace machined screws with wood screws and coat the wood with lacquer to keep the wood from moisture. I'll add a link here to my scale drawings, so you can just lay these on a block of wood and trace them out. These brackets are the 205mm wide ones. I understand there are two different sizes.

    Mark Peters

    ------------------------------
    Mark Peters
    Interlochen MI
    231-590-9733
    ------------------------------



  • 24.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 11-30-2020 00:45
      |   view attached
    Mark

    You do realize the new brackets are a little different size than the old brackets. Attached is a picture that shows the difference.

    ------------------------------
    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
    ------------------------------



  • 25.  RE: Young Chang

    Member
    Posted 11-30-2020 09:09
    I realize this. The measurements are taken from a new bracket measured by a RPT. It appeared in a previous thread in this forum.
    Mark




  • 26.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 11-30-2020 10:02
      |   view attached
    I will still pursue my idea of composite brackets. I need a few measurements: a. Hammer Rail (HR) height, b. Rep Rail (RR) height, c. Front of HR to front of RR. My measurements are taken off two bad samples show different a & b (taken at the screw hole). The dotted lines mark the proposed front edge of end and center brackets. I'll make them from cabinet grade plywood.

    The feet are separate and are screwed down before the body is located to the rails and secured with CA glue to the feet. They are then removed from the keyframe and fixed with screws from the bottom of the feet.

    Having a moveable bracket body will allow for flexibility in Strike Point alteration if needed. Having a slotted countersink may allow for different iteration samplings.

    I'm liking this idea more and more...

    ------------------------------
    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
    ------------------------------



  • 27.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 12-01-2020 08:19
    The old brackets expand, which is why they need replacement. Perhaps that is the difference you see.





  • 28.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 12-01-2020 22:41
    I had taken the measurements from old, bad brackets. But it just occurred to me that I have a Weber grand for sale with good brackets. I'll measure those tomorrow.

    ------------------------------
    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
    ------------------------------



  • 29.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 12-01-2020 23:03
    Hi Jon,

    When you have your measurements, please compare them with the ones I posted in the other thread last week, and let me know of any inconsistencies. I'm assuming we are both working with the same series of brackets.

    ------------------------------
    Floyd Gadd
    Regina SK
    306-502-9103
    ------------------------------



  • 30.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 12-02-2020 06:44
    Floyd, I'm looking for specific measurements of the heights of the brackets at the hammer rail and repetition rail. The dimensions of the foot and screw holes are irrelevant. I'll pull the action on the Weber later today unless someone has a good set to measure and post the numbers.

    ------------------------------
    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
    ------------------------------



  • 31.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 12-02-2020 07:15
      |   view attached
    Hi Jon,

    I am reposting my drawings here for your convenience.  These measurments are from a new set of brackets for the piano indicated on the diagram. I would welcome independent corroboration (or correction!) of these numbers by you, or anyone else who has access to set of new brackets.

    The particular numbers I have for the measurements you request are:
    • Height of hammer rail mounting surface:  105.9mm
    • Height of repetition rail mounting surface:  28.4mm


    ------------------------------
    Floyd Gadd
    Regina SK
    306-502-9103
    ------------------------------



  • 32.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 12-02-2020 08:56
    Mr. Page,
    I sent you a private reply about this. Can I assume that you're not interested or did you not see it?

    ------------------------------
    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
    ------------------------------



  • 33.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 12-02-2020 13:05
    Karl, I never monitor that inbox. There should be a notification of unread mail.

    Floyd, from your measurements, 176 - 79 = 97mm for the front of the hammer rail to the front of the rep rail.
    My expanded measurement was 97.5 mm.

    ------------------------------
    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
    ------------------------------



  • 34.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 12-02-2020 13:21
      |   view attached
    Thank you, Jon.  Upon remeasuring, I am adjusting my back-of-foot to front-of-rest-rail dimension to 78.5mm

    ------------------------------
    Floyd Gadd
    Regina SK
    306-502-9103
    ------------------------------



  • 35.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 12-02-2020 16:14
    Floyd, I am making that dimension much shorter to allow for a capstan to be installed to fine tune action spread.

    ------------------------------
    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
    ------------------------------



  • 36.  RE: Young Chang

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-10-2021 01:34
    I, too, have a serious client with a YC G-150 with (four) expanding action brackets.

    I'm wondering how the project of manufacturing new ones is coming along.  Has anyone looked into remanufacturing other available brackets?

    Thanks a lot.

    Mark Ultsch, RPT
    Madison, WI

    ------------------------------
    Mark Ultsch
    Beloit WI
    608-362-9572
    ------------------------------



  • 37.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 01-10-2021 09:39
    I just haven't made it to the lumber supply co. to look at birch plywood (cabinet grade). I'd be more endeavorous (made-up word) if I had a piano in need and needed more immediacy.  Feel free to use the specs and make some. Plus, it's not a capital/time expenditure I want to make for curiosity's sake.  I do have a lot of 25 cent words (and then some) to keep it interesting.

    ------------------------------
    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
    ------------------------------



  • 38.  RE: Young Chang

    Member
    Posted 01-10-2021 10:16
    I used pinblock material with great success. I would stay away from soft core plywood, even cabinet grade. Voids in the plywood, and the soft core are sure to cause problems. Laminated maple worked, and is holding up, perfectly.

    ------------------------------
    Mark Peters
    Interlochen MI
    231-590-9733
    ------------------------------



  • 39.  RE: Young Chang

    Posted 01-10-2021 12:57
    Even with treating the edges with epoxy or CA glue? Also, they would not be permanent, only temporary until the metal ones finally arrive. Resawing pin block material is not an easy task.

    ------------------------------
    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
    ------------------------------



  • 40.  RE: Young Chang

    Member
    Posted 01-10-2021 14:17
    My solution I’m considering permanent. No need for metal brackets with maple pinblock material! Get a new resaw blade for your bandsaw, cuts like butter. $14 on Amazon.

    Sent from my iPhone