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Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

  • 1.  Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Posted 22 days ago

    Hello All,

    I'd like to start with saying I'm new to piano tuning and repair. I'm doing some practice with friends and family. I have one friend that acquired a free piano awhile back. The piano is a CONN Brand. It appears to be a spinet piano but when I took it apart to inspect it, the end of the keys bend downward and press up on the wippen. It even appears to have a capstan. It doesn't have rods that pull on to activate the hammers like all the other spinet pianos I'm used to. 

    Has anyone had any experience with these pianos? If you have any sort of information, I'd love to learn more about them. I have not come across them in any books I have or videos I've watched. 

    Thanks, 



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    David
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  • 2.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 22 days ago

    I've worked on many of these.  There's a lot of friction and sluggish keys in most of them.  I usually use Jiffy Leads on them.  Easier to remove the action than a spinet.  I'm not a fan.



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    Paul McCloud, RPT
    Accutone Piano Service
    www.AccutonePianoService.com
    pavadasa@gmail.com
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Posted 21 days ago
    I have a 1980s wurlitzer that is ok but it seems sluggish and it doesn't repeat well. 
    I am ready to junk it. Between the divot on the wippen cushion, weak jack springs, packed hammer butts and jack stop felt, I figured it was too much to be worth the trouble. 
    It looks nice. It would be acceptable in a living room. 
    If jiffy leads work I will do that. 
    I tried reducing the blow distance and looking at the jack trying to return, I thought the butts needed to be bolstered. When the jack returned there is a couple of mm of lost motion. 
    keeping the checking tight also did not help.  
    What's my best source for jiffy leads?
    Keith




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  • 4.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 21 days ago

    I think most supply houses have Jiffy Leads.  I don't really like using them, but on a cheap piano I'll use them.  



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    Paul McCloud, RPT
    Accutone Piano Service
    www.AccutonePianoService.com
    pavadasa@gmail.com
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 22 days ago
    Not Conn specifically, but I have seen that sort of key.  As far as I know the only way to adjust lost motion is to take the key out, as it would be rather challenging to get a tool down in there.  I've heard people use the term "consolette" to describe these, but I don't think the term is exclusive to that "bent" key design.



    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 22 days ago

    Check for plastic parts, flanges, damper levers, jacks, before you act so you know ahead of time that there might be fragile parts. Always good to have replacement flanges on hand.



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


  • 7.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Member
    Posted 22 days ago
    Kimball made many and called them consolettes. So they accomplished a direct blow action by using a really annoying key design.

    Deb

    5 Tarr's Lane WEST
    Rockport, MA  01966
    978-546-8428



    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 22 days ago
    Conn pianos were made by Kimball, which made those weird designed keys They are hard to work on, especially to eliminate lost motion. In order to turn the capstan screw, each key has to be removed, the screw turned and then put back in. You repeat this until the lost motion is gone. The only good thing about this design is that while the piano is low, only about 37" high, it does have a direct blow action, which is easy to remove.  But because of the weird key design, it doesn't play that well. 



    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 22 days ago

    Hi David,

    I've seen these many times before. Kimball called them Consolettes, and that's the name I typically give to any piano that has this design. The idea was that a direct blow action could fit into a spinet case without the need for lifters and the normal drop action design. The thinking behind it is that it's usually easier to service a direct blow action rather than an indirect blow action, so these pianos would get the service they need. For the most part, it worked. I've seen several of these that have been in good regulation, while most spinets are not.

    One thing that's interesting about these is that some of them have what I call miniature action parts. Some have full size parts in them, while in others the parts look to be able 3/4 the normal size. If you come across one with miniature parts, your normal tools will probably not fit. Thankfully the small size tools are pretty easy to find, but it's another thing to have to order.

    Good luck working on it! These can be decent actions, especially for a spinet piano. It will take some time and patience and possibly different tools, but it's not that much more difficult to work on than a console is. (Minus having to remove the keys to adjust the capstans, as Wim pointed out.)



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    Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
    Piano Technician / Artisan
    (256) 947-9999
    www.professional-piano-services.com
    www.FromZeroToSixFiguresBook.com
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Posted 22 days ago

    Thank you all for the information! This is great! 

    The piano action actually was not too bad; I thought it was actually a noticeable difference from the regular spinet drop action but yes, a bit sluggish like mentioned. I checked the parts, all seem to be wood, no plastic parts that I could identify. Luckly the action and keys were in good shape so didn't have to remove them.  

    Unfortunately, the bridge for the bass strings is cracked and therefore the bass strings make a very bad rattling, but my friends got it for free so they don't really mind. The rest of the piano actually sounds decent for a small stature piano like that.

    A couple of the high treble strings also sound strange, I couldn't figure out where the extra noise was coming from, the hammers were in good position. I may have to inspect if something is in the action now that I know a little more with what I'm dealing with. 

    I'd personally much rather work and learn on regular uprights and grands but everyone around me willing to let me play with their instruments seem to have the dreaded spinet....

    Thanks again! 



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    David 
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Piano with Drop Action without Rod, Keys Bend Downward??? What is it?

    Member
    Posted 15 days ago

    I believe it is the Kimball Consolette which was between a spinet and a console. I have some pictures that I took from one a customer here owns What was amazing about her piano was that it had been owned by many aunts and uncles and she had a genealogy starting when it was new and first in the dirt floor of the farm house basement in Idaho. I did some cleaning under the keys and elsewhere and it was full of fine sands that came from the potato farm the family had . Apparently tuners and technicians where scarce or did not have a good parts source. some of the key punchingsb must have been lunch forn moths or bugs and replacements where made using craft felt and cloth. In some cases even punchings made of egg carton foam where used. the piano worked fine despite this field repair



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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    (843) 325-4357
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    Original Message