First time posting - just recently started getting the daily digest and I appreciate the resource of community and expertise/experience. I am totally rebuilding a 6ft 5in Neupert Grand manufactured in 1910. This piano belongs to me. I bought it 25 years ago. I am working on NOT leaving a bunch of pianos to my heirs ; ). When Clair Davies retired from piano work, I was an underling who bought his shop equipment and supplies. Wish I still had his brain to pick.
I do not trust the stringing scale found from the 1972 rebuild with oversize tuning pins. It failed miserably. I suspect the pins started failing not long after the work was done. I bought it for $100 after the owner got the same expensive answer from three different rebuilders over a period of a couple decades.
So does anyone know where I might find a good stringing scale for this piano? Nothing in Travis. I wrote Neupert several weeks ago and haven’t heard back. They don’t manufacture pianos anymore, only harpsichords. I am hoping that maybe one of you might have another idea of how to proceed. Maybe there is a German piano technician forum? Would scale design expert be able to help on this?
I have just finished installing the pin block - not doweled in the sides but it was buried by two big case arms glued and screwed into rim. Complicated multi level replication. Open face. There seemed to be three layers of material in the original block. I have married a piece of Delignit with a piece of red oak to get the original thickness of block. Finally a good fit to plate and to case. Everything is back in place. I’m ready for the soundboard. There are over a hundred screws in the ribs by the previous rebuilder but thankfully it is the original board&bridge assembly. I expect to find more quirky but good German engineering.
Ben Griffith, RPT
Frankfort, KY