Pianotech

Two Chas M Stieff upright pianos have come into my care and feeding. Both are close in age 1900 and 1901. Both have the lost motion compensator that works with the left pedal. The middle pedal on both has a two piece lever that terminates to the right side of the piano with a long dowel that extends up through the keybed and lines up with the tuning pins and string pressure bar in the high treble . Question is what should it connect to and operate ? I believe is should be a muffler rail /practice felt like in many verticals today. There is no sostenuto mechanism or features such as a rod or blade to hold tabs. The Stieff I saw yesterday had a wooden mechanism with a tab the slid over and locked down the pedal. Very clever design actually. Two questions :

Any one have a picture if a working practice felt rail ?

Was the sostenuto an option with the felt bar the standard feature ?

Is there any way to put a sostenuto in one of these ?

By the way both actions are WN&G

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James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
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James, without seeing the piano, I couldn't tell you for certain, but your piano sounds similar to one of mine. Mine is a Melville Clark from the same time period, with a WNG action. It, too, has a lost motion compensator for the left pedal, and it has a mechanism underneath the keybed that connects to the middle pedal, and operates a long medal rod that extends from underneath the keybed to the pressure bar. It is located at the treble break, and operates a muffler rail. The muffler rail is suspended above the hammers by the rod, and when the pedal is pressed down, it lowers the rod and allows the rail to come down in front of the hammers. The muffler rail seemed to be a standard feature. 

I'll show you a picture when I have the chance; It is a truly great piano.

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Alex Doss

Complete Piano Service
Spring Hill, FL. 352-683-6915
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-24-2015 07:31
From: James Kelly
Subject: Chas M Stieff Uprights pedal connections

Two Chas M Stieff upright pianos have come into my care and feeding. Both are close in age 1900 and 1901. Both have the lost motion compensator that works with the left pedal. The middle pedal on both has a two piece lever that terminates to the right side of the piano with a long dowel that extends up through the keybed and lines up with the tuning pins and string pressure bar in the high treble . Question is what should it connect to and operate ? I believe is should be a muffler rail /practice felt like in many verticals today. There is no sostenuto mechanism or features such as a rod or blade to hold tabs. The Stieff I saw yesterday had a wooden mechanism with a tab the slid over and locked down the pedal. Very clever design actually. Two questions :

Any one have a picture if a working practice felt rail ?

Was the sostenuto an option with the felt bar the standard feature ?

Is there any way to put a sostenuto in one of these ?

By the way both actions are WN&G

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

Two Chas M Stieff upright pianos have come into my care and feeding. Both are close in age 1900 and 1901. Both have the lost motion compensator that works with the left pedal. The middle pedal on both has a two piece lever that terminates to the right side of the piano with a long dowel that extends up through the keybed and lines up with the tuning pins and string pressure bar in the high treble . Question is what should it connect to and operate ? I believe is should be a muffler rail /practice felt like in many verticals today. There is no sostenuto mechanism or features such as a rod or blade to hold tabs. The Stieff I saw yesterday had a wooden mechanism with a tab the slid over and locked down the pedal. Very clever design actually. Two questions :

Any one have a picture if a working practice felt rail ?

Was the sostenuto an option with the felt bar the standard feature ?

Is there any way to put a sostenuto in one of these ?

By the way both actions are WN&G

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

Two Chas M Stieff upright pianos have come into my care and feeding. Both are close in age 1900 and 1901. Both have the lost motion compensator that works with the left pedal. The middle pedal on both has a two piece lever that terminates to the right side of the piano with a long dowel that extends up through the keybed and lines up with the tuning pins and string pressure bar in the high treble . Question is what should it connect to and operate ? I believe is should be a muffler rail /practice felt like in many verticals today. There is no sostenuto mechanism or features such as a rod or blade to hold tabs. The Stieff I saw yesterday had a wooden mechanism with a tab the slid over and locked down the pedal. Very clever design actually. Two questions :

Any one have a picture if a working practice felt rail ?

Was the sostenuto an option with the felt bar the standard feature ?

Is there any way to put a sostenuto in one of these ?

By the way both actions are WN&G

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

Two Chas M Stieff upright pianos have come into my care and feeding. Both are close in age 1900 and 1901. Both have the lost motion compensator that works with the left pedal. The middle pedal on both has a two piece lever that terminates to the right side of the piano with a long dowel that extends up through the keybed and lines up with the tuning pins and string pressure bar in the high treble . Question is what should it connect to and operate ? I believe is should be a muffler rail /practice felt like in many verticals today. There is no sostenuto mechanism or features such as a rod or blade to hold tabs. The Stieff I saw yesterday had a wooden mechanism with a tab the slid over and locked down the pedal. Very clever design actually. Two questions :

Any one have a picture if a working practice felt rail ?

Was the sostenuto an option with the felt bar the standard feature ?

Is there any way to put a sostenuto in one of these ?

By the way both actions are WN&G

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

Two Chas M Stieff upright pianos have come into my care and feeding. Both are close in age 1900 and 1901. Both have the lost motion compensator that works with the left pedal. The middle pedal on both has a two piece lever that terminates to the right side of the piano with a long dowel that extends up through the keybed and lines up with the tuning pins and string pressure bar in the high treble . Question is what should it connect to and operate ? I believe is should be a muffler rail /practice felt like in many verticals today. There is no sostenuto mechanism or features such as a rod or blade to hold tabs. The Stieff I saw yesterday had a wooden mechanism with a tab the slid over and locked down the pedal. Very clever design actually. Two questions :

Any one have a picture if a working practice felt rail ?

Was the sostenuto an option with the felt bar the standard feature ?

Is there any way to put a sostenuto in one of these ?

By the way both actions are WN&G

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

Two Chas M Stieff upright pianos have come into my care and feeding. Both are close in age 1900 and 1901. Both have the lost motion compensator that works with the left pedal. The middle pedal on both has a two piece lever that terminates to the right side of the piano with a long dowel that extends up through the keybed and lines up with the tuning pins and string pressure bar in the high treble . Question is what should it connect to and operate ? I believe is should be a muffler rail /practice felt like in many verticals today. There is no sostenuto mechanism or features such as a rod or blade to hold tabs. The Stieff I saw yesterday had a wooden mechanism with a tab the slid over and locked down the pedal. Very clever design actually. Two questions :

Any one have a picture if a working practice felt rail ?

Was the sostenuto an option with the felt bar the standard feature ?

Is there any way to put a sostenuto in one of these ?

By the way both actions are WN&G

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