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Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

  • 1.  Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 07-31-2020 08:04
    While I was searching for my pictures of the spinet grand piano action, I ran across a couple of doozies. I have faith that others have some really good ones also!!! Bring 'em on!

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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  • 2.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Member
    Posted 07-31-2020 08:18
    I think I have seen this piano

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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 07-31-2020 18:07
    That rubber band....

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    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 07-31-2020 20:26
      |   view attached
    This guy is a string breaker. He went a long time before calling...

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    Regards,

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


  • 5.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-01-2020 06:07
    Jon - what's with the cut-out hammer felt area?

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-01-2020 07:11
    All three strings were broken and he kept on playing and pounding.
    The impact on the v-bar made the indents.
    How much pounding do you need to do to develop those?
    Why would you play so long with that condition??

    I replaced the wires and the indents are still there.
    He's probably broken more strings with similar affect in the 2 years since the photo.

    That also is a replacement set of decent used h/s/f as he completely wore out the original set.
    They were resurfaced at the time 5~10 years ago.

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    Regards,

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


  • 7.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-01-2020 07:12
    Years ago a new customer called. He said he had a grand. When I got there, I found it was a spinet. It turns out that “Grand” was the brand, not a description.

    Bob Anderson, RPT
    Tucson, AZ


    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-01-2020 10:32
    Nothing grand about it, definitely bottom of the barrel.

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    Regards,

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


  • 9.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-01-2020 11:29
    For a while in the 1990's at a certain Connecticut bank  if you opened a new account with $10k they'd offer a Kimball La Petite grand so several of these 'free pianos'  migrated to  my customer base in  Greater Boston .....best....Martin.
    www.snowpianos.com

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    Martin Snow
    South Burlington VT
    617-543-1030
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Member
    Posted 08-01-2020 13:57
    I would have taken the free toaster instead

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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-05-2020 11:26
    Just tuned one of these little babies.  For the space it is in, nothing bigger would fit. I have heard spinets that have better sound.

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    Jeffrey Gegner
    Tipton IN
    765-860-5900
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-01-2020 15:52
    Jon wrote: "Nothing grand about it, definitely bottom of the barrel."

    Jon, I usually think that your responses are right on and that you are a pretty     smart guy. But I have to take issue with you on your assessment of the "Grand" spinet. They may have been bottom of the barrel when new, but every one I've seen - and there have been several over the years - have been WAY below the bottom of the barrel!

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-02-2020 07:28
    Very early in my working life I had a mentor who told me, while we were working on a Grand spinet, "most companies didn't set out to make bad pianos. Except this one."

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    Cindy Strehlow, RPT
    Urbana, IL
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    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-02-2020 15:09
    I believe I had the most egregious of all experiences. During the early 80's I was the primary floor tuner for the local Wurlitzer and Aeolian piano dealer. On one occasion I was tuning, fresh off the truck, an Ivers & Pond spinet (absolutely dreadful instruments), when I came across a sound similar to a metal object on the string. Upon examination, I found to my stark surprise (maybe not) that two wires were crossed, IN THE SPEAKING LENGTH.  When Aeolian went bankrupt, I felt the heavy load of embarrassment lifted confronting our U.S. piano manufacturing industry.   



    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-02-2020 15:58

    And not helping with the horror, Ivers and Pond made absolutely superb instruments before they failed and Aeolian got hold of the name, putting it on their worst most miserable products and running it till it dropped.

    I remember a console with a very strange sound on A0. Looking into it before my customer bought it (I had checked it out for her, which made a good comedy sketch I should someday write down), I found that the wire had made a beeline from the hitch pin directly to the upper bridge, not even saluting the two bridge pins in the process, just going right in between them.




    Original Message


  • 16.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-01-2020 13:20

    Ah, yes, the "Grand" spinet. When I tuned one, I saw a decal on case saying "Artist Console." I called it "Lying Bastard."




    Original Message


  • 17.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-05-2020 11:25
    Yep.. had one of those, in spinet form.  Literally put it out in the alley as trash. The city hauled it away.

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    Jeffrey Gegner
    Tipton IN
    765-860-5900
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    Original Message


  • 18.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-01-2020 13:46
    Customer claimed the piano used to belong to one of the Gershwin brothers. Claimed to have papers but could never find them. Total wreck. He was a good player but did all the repairs he could by himself. Hot glue and duct tape repairs everywhere. For the most part they got the job done. He didn't care about tuning and would only suffer through it when I was called to repair the one thing he could not do himself. A string break. This is a repair he did to assist a jack that would not return by itself. I thought it was very creative. It worked so I left it as is.



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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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    Original Message


  • 19.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-02-2020 14:22
    Strangely they were having repetition issues.


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    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
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    Original Message


  • 20.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-02-2020 14:38
    wow...good thing one never has to service pianos.

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    Jim Ialeggio
    grandpianosolutions.com
    Shirley, MA
    978 425-9026
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    Original Message


  • 21.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-03-2020 15:27
      |   view attached
    Fortunately, just in time fer da concert, I done got these here hammers all filed and shaped for maxeemum tone pro-duck-shun!

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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    Original Message


  • 22.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Posted 08-05-2020 11:35
    OK.  Here is one, yes, filed these babies and they sounded pretty good. before and after


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    Jeffrey Gegner
    Tipton IN
    765-860-5900
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    Original Message


  • 23.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Member
    Posted 08-07-2020 00:48
    Not so egregious, but funny. Then, on second thought - why?


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    Jason Kanter
    Lynnwood WA
    425-830-1561
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    Original Message


  • 24.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-07-2020 01:28

    <grin> Well, you see, there was this really bad day, and my customer's mother-in-law was visiting, and she plays forthe?? Chicago opera's vocal coaches ,,,, and ,,,, and

    Well, she kept trying to play note 44, and then she got so mad that they went out for lunch ,,,, so, while they were gone I managed to get the action out without breaking off a hammer like I did that other time, and they were about to get back, so what the hay! Note 1 worked .....

    now it doesn't, but who plays it anyway?




    Original Message


  • 25.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Member
    Posted 08-08-2020 17:12
    I think that's about right - except A0 was working fine, so I guess another tech fixed the non-working A0/44 and left it there.
    So what could have been the problem with the wippen #44?​ Jack center pin? Rep spring?

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    Jason Kanter
    Lynnwood WA
    425-830-1561
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    Original Message


  • 26.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-08-2020 18:11

    Maybe it was the paper clip wedged in there?




    Original Message


  • 27.  RE: Maximum Entertainment Piano Photos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-09-2020 15:47
    Jason,
    Maybe the hammer shank flange was too tight, and the solution was to install a stronger rep spring?

    Joe


    Original Message