Coin Slot Magazine - #071 - 1981 - January [International Arcade Museum]
c PUT ANOTHER NICKEL IN
Art Reblitz
As announced in December, the "Coin Slot" is
expanding its scope beginning this issue, with
the addition of a regular series of articles on
mechanical musical instruments. There has
always been a certain amount of overlap
between various fields of mechanical antiques. Many
nickelodeon and orchestrion collectors have one or two
antique cars, while car collectors have a few nickelodeons.
Some of the finest gambling machine collections include a
nice grouping of coin operated musical instruments, a few
mechanical banks, arcade and vending machines, a
jukebox or two, and other mechanical antiques.
Music machines add life to any collection, whether in
the form of an Ampico reproducing piano providing
background dinner music, a cylinder music box accom
panying the mechanical action of a Mills Dewey, or a
WurliTzer orchestrion dominating the attention of all
present in the room when a nickel is deposited in its slot.
This column will be as diverse as the field which it
encompasses, including discussions of repair techniques,
history, questions and answers, maintenance, and any
other subject requested by you, the readers. To begin, I
will answer the question which is asked of player piano
technicians more frequently than any other.
QUESTION: Why should I have my coin operated piano
tuned, and how often should this be done?
ANSWER: Coin pianos, reproducing pianos or any other
pianos should be tuned to keep them sounding good, and
so that preventative maintenance can be performed to
keep major problemsfrom building up. Likean automobile
or any other piece of machinery, a piano is something
which gets out of adjustment through use. Unlike most
other machinery, pianos are under a great deal of stress
when not in use, causing them to go out of tune even when
they are just sitting there. The average piano owner does
not feel capable of detecting when a piano is out of tune,
mainly because there is no reference near by to compare it
of the piano. This is why the frame is made of heavy
timbers plus a substantial iron casting (called the "plate.")
On the other hand, the strings bear against the sound
board, which has a slight convex shape (when viewed from
the front of an upright or the top of a grand). This convex
shape, called "crown," is maintained by ribs glued to the
back of the soundboard, in order to keep it from caving in
due to the string bearing. In any climate where the
humidity goes up and down seasonally, a piano goes
sharp in the spring and flat in the fall. In the spring, when
fresh, humid outside air enters through open windows, the
soundboard swells slightly, gains crown and exerts more
push against the strings, raising the pitch. When the
furnace comes on in the fall, the soundboard loses a little
crown, exerts slightly less push on the strings, and the
pitch drops. A climate control system which maintains
constant temperature and humidity surrounding a piano
will practically eliminate this seasonal change, allowing
greater tuning stability.
to. The average owner usually exclaims "Wow, I had no
idea it was that bad" when a piano is bei ng tuned, because
the strings all tend to go flat more or less together,
sounding better to the average ear than they really are.
In a new piano, or in one which has been restrung
recently, the most important factor in tuning instability is
the new wire stretching. Over the period of a year, new
piano strings will slip a half step (one note) or more flat;
this causes a piano to sound particularly bad in a coin
piano or orchestrion with xylophone or organ pipes which
stay relatively in tune. One of the most distressing things
The remaining factor is loose tuning pins. In a new or
correctly restrung piano, this factor is of minor conse
quence; in a piano with really loose pins, tuning is entirely
impossible and the piano is useless until repaired.
How often, then should a piano be tuned? Twice a year
is good, correcting the tuning approximately a month after
each major seasonal humidity change. Once a year will
keep a piano adequately tuned for the average owner. If
several years are allowed to elapse, however, be prepared
to spend much more time (if you do it yourself) or money
(if you hire a professional tuner) because of the extra time
required for pitch raising, plus the correction of small
mechanical problems which accumulate over a several
to an orchestrion rebuilder is to have the owner of a
year period.
beautifully restored instrument proudly play it for
someone else, and to hear it play in two different keys at
once because it hasn't been tuned!
When the new strings are done stretching, after a year or
so of good hard use, or after several years of little or
The whole idea of collecting mechanical antiques is to
enjoy their performance. After spending thousands of
dollars on the restoration of a beautiful antique car, the
responsible owner will keep the engine tuned so the car
will perform properly. Likewise, the careful owner of an
automatic piano will keep it well-tuned. The only
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20 — THE COIN SLOT
© The International Arcade Museum
difference is the type of performance: the antique car
should move smoothly from a dead stop to cruising speed,
while a piano should provide music which is pleasing to all
listeners. Keeping a valuable nickelodeon, slot machine,
antique car or other mechanical antique well tuned will
give the owner satisfaction that his investment is not
deteriorating, as well as providing maximum performance.
JANUARY, 1981
http://www.arcade-museum.com/