Pianotech

  • 1.  Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

    Posted 04-09-2025 18:40

    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.



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    Joshua Sharp
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  • 2.  RE: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-09-2025 19:55
    I've seen (in pictures, not in person) bridge or center pins used in a similar fashion.

    As for the verdigris, since you're tinkering anyway: try treating it with Fantastick. There was a journal article on this recently.





  • 3.  RE: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

    Posted 04-09-2025 20:29

    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



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    Joshua Sharp
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-09-2025 22:39

    Too clever x .5

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



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


  • 5.  RE: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-10-2025 08:50

    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?).



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


  • 6.  RE: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

    Posted 04-11-2025 00:52

    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.



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    Joshua Sharp
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-11-2025 08:07

    I've seen a few "petri dish" PSO's, including this specific trick. 

    Peter Grey Piano Doctor 



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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    (603) 686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-11-2025 09:58

    I have no idea if you're experienced or just starting out, so _please_ don't take this as an insult to your intelligence:

    After removing the rod, did you measure the downbearing with all of the strings back up to full tension?  Because downbearing measurements will change with the board loaded vs. not...



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    Nathan Monteleone RPT
    Fort Worth TX
    (817) 675-9494
    nbmont@gmail.com
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Bass Bridge Hack job, clever fix to something not broken, or something else?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-11-2025 09:19

    Gotta love the gold paint overspray. But it does look like it was strung in keeping with the bridge pin angles. Strange, indeed. 



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    Dave Conte, RPT

    Piano Technician in Residence
    The University of Tennessee
    College of Music
    Knoxville TN
    (817) 307-5656
    Owner: Rocky Top Piano
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    Original Message