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Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

  • 1.  Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-03-2021 05:26
    I have a client with an Asian-made Wurlitzer grand. The female plate that retains a leg bolt is stripped and I need to replace it. I need to figure out whether this piano was made by Young Chang or Samick. Pierce suggests that both companies made the Wurlitzer. I'd just stop by and take a look, but the piano is about 100 miles away. I have asked the owner to take a look at the model number for me, but I'm not gonna hold my breath that she will be able to figure out where/what this is. Can anyone tell me the manufacturer just be looking at the picture of the plate? Plate is located inset into the keybed surface. Thanks.

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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  • 2.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-04-2021 07:25
    Good morning Terry,

    G series Wurlitzer (ex. G-452) have a metal serial and model plate on the back of the belly rail. Built by Young Chang, they use a matching leg plate to plate in the keybed and have a horizontal capstan that you turn with a 1/4" rod (#2 Phillips screwdriver works great).

    C series Wurlitzers were built by Samick and have the serial and model inked on the plate. They use the threaded inserts like you show and the standard Samick Whitworth thread leg/lyre bolts. 

    I hope this helps. 

    AG

    Allan
    Allan Gilreath, RPT
    Registered Piano Technician
    Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc.
    706-602-7667
    www.allangilreath.com





  • 3.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-04-2021 07:51
    The way I remember the manufacturer is by the model letter.
    G = YC because there is a 'G' in Young Chang.
    C = Samick because there is no 'G' but a 'C' in their name.

    YC bolts are 10 mm x 1.5mm
    Samick is Whitworth ½" x 12 TPI

    If it's metric, maybe you can retap the threads in place. Otherwise to get the fastener out, you'll have to cut away the inner rim. Good luck finding a Whitworth tap.

    On a Kawai that had Whitworth hardware, I swapped the leg hardware out for the newer metric hardware. The fasteners had the same screw pattern and replacement was a breeze except for cutting away the inner rim.  !n 1971, Kawai switched from Whitworth to metric.

    100 miles away? No tech closer??

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
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  • 4.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-04-2021 10:04
    Jon - you mention the rim being in the way. Is that what the white thing is filling the top half of my picture and partially covering the plate? In case you are asking the obvious question, no, I didn't take the picture! I wonder, couldn't I just take a 3/8" or so drill bit and go at that screw head at about a 45 degree angle and chop out some of the rim and grind off the top of the screw? Then take the other two screws out and hopefully the plate would just fall out at that point. All that makes the assumption that a replacement plate is available.

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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  • 5.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-04-2021 22:04
      |   view attached
    You need to chisel off some of that case to get to the covered screw and then get the fastener out. It's back behind the cheek block out of sight.

    If you want to get it done in one trip, bring the new Kawai metric 12mm x 1.75 x 70 mm bolt and fastener.
    Otherwise, bring a Whitworth tap to retap the threads. Might as well bring a die to clean up the threads on the bolt. Good luck with that.

    Pictured is what was in the Kawai

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
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  • 6.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-04-2021 09:59
    Alan - so if I understand you correctly, you are saying that this piano was definitely manufactured by Samick? How does a Whitworth thread differ from the standard thread I'll find in an ACE hardware store? I read on Wiki that it is Brittish, but does it differ from normal threads?

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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  • 7.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-04-2021 22:32
      |   view attached
    I checked my stash of leg hardware and have 5 Whitworth ½" x 12 tpi fasteners, diam. 53 mm, depth 21.5 mm.  Roger Gable at Moon Dog Manufacturing (Moon Dog Piano Tilter) probably has the bolt. If the bolt is chewed up too, a new fastener won't be much help.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
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  • 8.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-04-2021 22:34
    I think the prefix letter on the serial number will be either a G or C also.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
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  • 9.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-04-2021 22:36
    Whitworth is different from SAE and Metric, leave it to the Brits. Triumph motorcycles used Whitworth fasteners.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
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  • 10.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-05-2021 00:10
    Here's a thought. Since the cross-threading is at the bottom of the fastener. Depending on how bad the threads are on the bolt, maybe the bolt can be threaded in from the top to straighten out the threading. This might be something the owner could do.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
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  • 11.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-05-2021 04:51
    Jon P. wrote: "Depending on how bad the threads are on the bolt, maybe the bolt can be threaded in from the top to straighten out the threading. This might be something the owner could do."

    Bolt is reportedly is good condition. Your suggestion might be worth a try. However, the owner won't be up to it. I asked her to look under the music desk to see what model the piano is and she told me the lid is too heavy for her to lift.

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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  • 12.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-05-2021 08:26
    Well Terry,  I guess she'll just have to pay! 

    How did the damage occur?

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 13.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-05-2021 09:04
    The damage reportedly occurred at the conclusion of the piano's last move some years ago. I guess the mover just cross threaded it.

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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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  • 14.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-05-2021 09:06
    I my tool box of Moon Dog Piano Tilter hardware (Husky cantilevered) I have two tap and die sets. SAE and Metric. I think I'll include a Whitworth set for any and all circumstances. Here is just one of many available.

    PS Just ordered it.  I'd run the tap in from the top for clean threads to start.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
    mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
    http://www.pianocapecod.com
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  • 15.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Posted 05-30-2023 13:55

    Where can the leg bolt plate for the Samick Wurlitzer (pictured above) be purchased from? 



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    Brenda Pitezel
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  • 16.  RE: Leg Bolt Female Plate - Samick or Young Chang?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-30-2023 22:27

    Wondering why this issue came up now, they going to move again? Repairing the threads would sure be preferable to taking a chisel to the case.
    Jane Jones at Samick has been very helpful as of late and they seem to be stocking a lot of parts. Customer only needs to open the front of the lid to get the ser. #
    Veronica Jane Jones
    Piano Service Manager
    Samick Music Corporation
    Hendersonville, TN
    615-206-0077



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    Steven Rosenthal RPT
    Honolulu HI
    (808) 521-7129
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