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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
9
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An Interesting and Authentic Account of What a Player-Expert Accomplished
in Reconstructing a Second-Hand Player Grand, Whereby Several Original
Improvements Were Installed—A Very Novel Means of Controlling Accent
A few years ago a well-known player man be-
came the possessor, at second hand, of one of
the first player grands put on the market. The
instrument was acquired for a double reason;
first, because it could be had upon immediate
cash purchase, for a relatively very small sum,
and, secondly, because of certain experiments
which this player man—whom we shall here-
after designate as Jackson Jones, because that is
not his name—had for some time desired to
make.
Introducing Jackson Jones
Now Jackson Jones, whom both the writer and
many of his readers know quite well, is not
merely a thorough workman on all matters that
relate to pneumatics, but he is also a player-
pianist of some attainments, having enough
music in him to create and keep burning the
lire of ambition to interpret the music he loves
in the way he loves to hear it. For some years
previous to the events about to be related,
Jackson Jones had been using one or another
type of upright player-piano turned out by the
manufacturing concern with which he did then,
and does still, occupy the position of player
expert. None of these satisfied him completely;
first, because both his wife (who plays the piano
quite well) and he himself had a hankering for
a small grand; and, secondly, because the ex-
pression equipment of the instruments available
to him was not adequate for the results which
he wished to attain.
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1204 WEST 28th STREET
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
When an opportunity came to purchase a sec-
ond-hand player grand, Mrs. Jones was first con-
sulted, and after she had subjected the piano to
a careful playing test she decided that as a
piano it would suit her. The owners had money
but no musical taste, and the player had proved
unsuited to them, through their disinclination to
take even the small amount of trouble needed
to learn the use of the expression devices. More-
over, the family had made up its mind to go to
California for a season, and thought to sell the
piano rather than transport it out to the Coast.
The price offered made the thing look like a
bargain.
Upon further examination it was discovered
that the piano itself was indeed in fine condi-
tion, but the player leaky, stiff in pedaling and
inexpressive. Convinced, however, that the in-
strument offered a good plant for experiment,
it was bought and transferred to the Jones
bungalow.
Putting It Over on Honey
"Now, see here, Honey Kiddo" (or words to
that effect), said our friend Jackson to the part-
ner of his joys (who, in fact, we can vouch,
looks as good as her husband thinks she does),
"you play the keys and I play the pedals, as
it were. If you will let me monkey with the
player part of this here, now, pie-an-oler, to
use the words of Montague Glass, I on my part
will guarantee that the piano part will be left
untouched except perhaps for two or three days
later on, so that you can play on it as much as
you wish and brag about it all you like. I
only ask to be allowed to lie underneath, taking
measurements, figuring, and so on. What comes
out of all this you shall see later."
The Big Idea
So far, in substance, our friend J. J. He had
made up his mind to produce a player-piano
based on the original piano and on the original
player action; but new in most of its elements
and especially designed in respect of its expres-
sive capacities. He had no radical ideas, but
he believed that the grand piano, fitted with a
player action, not less but more responsive and
expressive than is to be found in the most
modern and improved upright player-pianos,
would provide a combination hitherto unexcelled
and perhaps unequaled. The experiment was
worth while, anyhow.
Tearing Down
The first step, of course, was to make a thor-
ough examination of the action in its existing
condition. The pneumatic stack, bellews, motor
and covering devices were all placed under the
key-bed, with the .treadles neatly folder into the
lyre. The music roll box with the tracker bar
could be pushed away under the key-bed, to
emerge therefrom when required for pneumatic
playing.
A New Stack
When the old action had been carefully ex-
amined, Jones came reluctantly to the conclu-
sion that in order to get really good results it
would be better to put in a new pneumatic stack.
He therefore took down the old one, which was
in a leaky condition, owing to the neglect and
indifference of its previous owners; and took it
down to the factory, with a view to having the
. old pouches and pneumatics replaced and the
valve boards shellacked, etc., so as to make it
tight again. Before this was begun, however,
the thought occurred that it would be still bet-
ter to try the effect of a pneumatic stack of his
own make, built to scale, and arranged to fit
the blocks and screws with which the original
stack was secured under the key-bed.
As soon as this was done it was discovered
that some space and weight were saved, for the
new stack, built on up-to-date lines, was simpler
and lighter than the old one. But this was
not all. There was, in the old stack, no way of
regulating the lost motion between the pneu-
matics and the bottoms of the piano keys where
the contacts were made. The new stack con-
tained an arrangement common to all Jones'
actions, in the shape of a regulating device on
the pneumatic itself. Moreover, it- was found
that a simpler, firmer and less sticky arrange-
ment for the actual contact through the key-bed
could be made.
Also: Bellows
But all this was, after all, a matter of detail.
The really important question was as to the
responsiveness, power and ease of pumping.
After due consideration, Jones determined to
change the bellows-system.
He argued that,
although the bellows in this case were still firm,
tight and powerful, they suffered from their
position under the sound-board at the rear of
the piano, a position which required a somewhat
complex lever system between them and the
pedals, involving many frictional points and
much liability to shake and rattle. He rea-
soned that the makers in all probability hid the
bellows in this way because, in the first
place, their exhaust units were quite large, and
in the second place because the demand is for a
player grand that looks as little like one as pos-
sible. Knowing the obvious advantage of di-
rect connection of exhausters with foot-treadles,
save in point of appearance, and not being trou-
bled on the latter score, he made up his mind
to place his exhausters where the lyre of the
piano stood, making direct connection with the
treadles, just as in an upright, and finding room
for the three piano pedals with their rods in
whatever manner might turn out to be con-
venient. The equalizer and expression governor
system could remain at the back under the
sound-board.
This was done, and very little difficulty was
experienced in building two exhausters of Jones'
own system, side by side, with a little shelf for
the piano pedals underneath them. The player
(Continued on page 12)
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