Pianotech

Procured a 1918 Mehlin piano to just tinker on and practice misc repairs, sadly she has verdigris so will just be a tinker with and learn piano. 

Onto the question, didn't think anything of it at first maybe just something I've never seen before on a piano but on the bass bridge there is a copper rod between the bridge and the strings, after looking closer I see the wire did originally sit on the bridge like it's suppose to. 

Was this a clever attempt at adding more down pressure? You can see from the pictures all it did was cause undo leverage on the pins and cause them to crack and shift. Anyone ever seen such a thing should I play around and just remove the rod, I got quite a few dead strings fixed with twisting but I'm sure the other cause of poor sound might be the cracked pins or ultimately the random rod.

Procured a 1918 Mehlin piano to just tinker on and practice misc repairs, sadly she has verdigris so will just be a tinker with and learn piano. 

Onto the question, didn't think anything of it at first maybe just something I've never seen before on a piano but on the bass bridge there is a copper rod between the bridge and the strings, after looking closer I see the wire did originally sit on the bridge like it's suppose to. 

Was this a clever attempt at adding more down pressure? You can see from the pictures all it did was cause undo leverage on the pins and cause them to crack and shift. Anyone ever seen such a thing should I play around and just remove the rod, I got quite a few dead strings fixed with twisting but I'm sure the other cause of poor sound might be the cracked pins or ultimately the random rod.

I have been treating the verdigris with fomblin so far with good success just curious about the rod and the only thing I can think of is adding down bearing though the bass is muddy and zero sustain so obv it didn't work

Procured a 1918 Mehlin piano to just tinker on and practice misc repairs, sadly she has verdigris so will just be a tinker with and learn piano. 

Onto the question, didn't think anything of it at first maybe just something I've never seen before on a piano but on the bass bridge there is a copper rod between the bridge and the strings, after looking closer I see the wire did originally sit on the bridge like it's suppose to. 

Was this a clever attempt at adding more down pressure? You can see from the pictures all it did was cause undo leverage on the pins and cause them to crack and shift. Anyone ever seen such a thing should I play around and just remove the rod, I got quite a few dead strings fixed with twisting but I'm sure the other cause of poor sound might be the cracked pins or ultimately the random rod.

Too clever x .5

I've never seen the 'drift" reversed between the bichords and monochords before. More cleverness?

I have been treating the verdigris with fomblin so far with good success just curious about the rod and the only thing I can think of is adding down bearing though the bass is muddy and zero sustain so obv it didn't work

Procured a 1918 Mehlin piano to just tinker on and practice misc repairs, sadly she has verdigris so will just be a tinker with and learn piano. 

Onto the question, didn't think anything of it at first maybe just something I've never seen before on a piano but on the bass bridge there is a copper rod between the bridge and the strings, after looking closer I see the wire did originally sit on the bridge like it's suppose to. 

Was this a clever attempt at adding more down pressure? You can see from the pictures all it did was cause undo leverage on the pins and cause them to crack and shift. Anyone ever seen such a thing should I play around and just remove the rod, I got quite a few dead strings fixed with twisting but I'm sure the other cause of poor sound might be the cracked pins or ultimately the random rod.

Do you have any idea what the downbearing would be without the rod? If negative downbearing without the rod, that's probably why it was installed. What is the downbearing like with the rod? If excessive, that could also choke the sound and possibly make the tenor sound worse (curious what the tenor downbearing looks like?).

------------------------------
Tim Foster RPT
New Oxford PA
(470) 231-6074

Original Message:
Sent: 04-09-2025 22:39
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Too clever x .5

I've never seen the 'drift" reversed between the bichords and monochords before. More cleverness?

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 04-09-2025 20:29
From: Joshua Sharp
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

I have been treating the verdigris with fomblin so far with good success just curious about the rod and the only thing I can think of is adding down bearing though the bass is muddy and zero sustain so obv it didn't work

------------------------------
Joshua Sharp

Original Message:
Sent: 04-09-2025 19:54
From: Nathan Monteleone
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Original Message:
Sent: 4/9/2025 6:40:00 PM
From: Joshua Sharp
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Procured a 1918 Mehlin piano to just tinker on and practice misc repairs, sadly she has verdigris so will just be a tinker with and learn piano. 

Onto the question, didn't think anything of it at first maybe just something I've never seen before on a piano but on the bass bridge there is a copper rod between the bridge and the strings, after looking closer I see the wire did originally sit on the bridge like it's suppose to. 

Was this a clever attempt at adding more down pressure? You can see from the pictures all it did was cause undo leverage on the pins and cause them to crack and shift. Anyone ever seen such a thing should I play around and just remove the rod, I got quite a few dead strings fixed with twisting but I'm sure the other cause of poor sound might be the cracked pins or ultimately the random rod.

------------------------------
Joshua Sharp
------------------------------

Took the rod out and still have some down bearing and was able to seat bridge pins back down all the way into bridge. Not sure of it's original purpose but have found other evidence of this piano being an experimental playground of sorts.

------------------------------
Joshua Sharp

Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2025 08:49
From: Tim Foster
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Do you have any idea what the downbearing would be without the rod? If negative downbearing without the rod, that's probably why it was installed. What is the downbearing like with the rod? If excessive, that could also choke the sound and possibly make the tenor sound worse (curious what the tenor downbearing looks like?).

------------------------------
Tim Foster RPT
New Oxford PA
(470) 231-6074

Original Message:
Sent: 04-09-2025 22:39
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Too clever x .5

I've never seen the 'drift" reversed between the bichords and monochords before. More cleverness?

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 04-09-2025 20:29
From: Joshua Sharp
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

I have been treating the verdigris with fomblin so far with good success just curious about the rod and the only thing I can think of is adding down bearing though the bass is muddy and zero sustain so obv it didn't work

------------------------------
Joshua Sharp

Original Message:
Sent: 04-09-2025 19:54
From: Nathan Monteleone
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Original Message:
Sent: 4/9/2025 6:40:00 PM
From: Joshua Sharp
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Procured a 1918 Mehlin piano to just tinker on and practice misc repairs, sadly she has verdigris so will just be a tinker with and learn piano. 

Onto the question, didn't think anything of it at first maybe just something I've never seen before on a piano but on the bass bridge there is a copper rod between the bridge and the strings, after looking closer I see the wire did originally sit on the bridge like it's suppose to. 

Was this a clever attempt at adding more down pressure? You can see from the pictures all it did was cause undo leverage on the pins and cause them to crack and shift. Anyone ever seen such a thing should I play around and just remove the rod, I got quite a few dead strings fixed with twisting but I'm sure the other cause of poor sound might be the cracked pins or ultimately the random rod.

------------------------------
Joshua Sharp
------------------------------

Took the rod out and still have some down bearing and was able to seat bridge pins back down all the way into bridge. Not sure of it's original purpose but have found other evidence of this piano being an experimental playground of sorts.

------------------------------
Joshua Sharp

Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2025 08:49
From: Tim Foster
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Do you have any idea what the downbearing would be without the rod? If negative downbearing without the rod, that's probably why it was installed. What is the downbearing like with the rod? If excessive, that could also choke the sound and possibly make the tenor sound worse (curious what the tenor downbearing looks like?).

------------------------------
Tim Foster RPT
New Oxford PA
(470) 231-6074

Original Message:
Sent: 04-09-2025 22:39
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Too clever x .5

I've never seen the 'drift" reversed between the bichords and monochords before. More cleverness?

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 04-09-2025 20:29
From: Joshua Sharp
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

I have been treating the verdigris with fomblin so far with good success just curious about the rod and the only thing I can think of is adding down bearing though the bass is muddy and zero sustain so obv it didn't work

------------------------------
Joshua Sharp

Original Message:
Sent: 04-09-2025 19:54
From: Nathan Monteleone
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Original Message:
Sent: 4/9/2025 6:40:00 PM
From: Joshua Sharp
Subject: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

Procured a 1918 Mehlin piano to just tinker on and practice misc repairs, sadly she has verdigris so will just be a tinker with and learn piano. 

Onto the question, didn't think anything of it at first maybe just something I've never seen before on a piano but on the bass bridge there is a copper rod between the bridge and the strings, after looking closer I see the wire did originally sit on the bridge like it's suppose to. 

Was this a clever attempt at adding more down pressure? You can see from the pictures all it did was cause undo leverage on the pins and cause them to crack and shift. Anyone ever seen such a thing should I play around and just remove the rod, I got quite a few dead strings fixed with twisting but I'm sure the other cause of poor sound might be the cracked pins or ultimately the random rod.

------------------------------
Joshua Sharp
------------------------------

Too clever x .5

I've never seen the 'drift" reversed between the bichords and monochords before. More cleverness?

I have been treating the verdigris with fomblin so far with good success just curious about the rod and the only thing I can think of is adding down bearing though the bass is muddy and zero sustain so obv it didn't work

Procured a 1918 Mehlin piano to just tinker on and practice misc repairs, sadly she has verdigris so will just be a tinker with and learn piano. 

Onto the question, didn't think anything of it at first maybe just something I've never seen before on a piano but on the bass bridge there is a copper rod between the bridge and the strings, after looking closer I see the wire did originally sit on the bridge like it's suppose to. 

Was this a clever attempt at adding more down pressure? You can see from the pictures all it did was cause undo leverage on the pins and cause them to crack and shift. Anyone ever seen such a thing should I play around and just remove the rod, I got quite a few dead strings fixed with twisting but I'm sure the other cause of poor sound might be the cracked pins or ultimately the random rod.