Music Trade Review
Issue: 1922 Vol. 75 N. 13 - Page 13
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SEPTEMBER 23, 1922
THE
out the treble. Given this level the question of
weight for each string is easily solved from the
pitch and length. The core and covering wire
may then be directly determined from the tables.
Now, the point of all this discussion is sim-
ply that if the bass section be designed with
such an approach to scientific accuracy as I have
indicated it will always be possible to determine
in advance a design and construction which will
give a bass tolerably uniform in result with the
rest of the piano. And it is the moral of this
argument that the neglect of these precautions,
a neglect far more common than is usually sup-
posed, nullifies so many well-meant attempts at
good tone production.
The piano trade needs a little understanding
of these facts and a discussion of this sort can-
not therefore be other than useful.
MUSIC TRADE
13
REVIEW
servations on refinishing cases. He says: "For
refinishing cases I now invariably use Brush
Amalgamator with steel wool and the best
brush obtainable. I have tried four kinds of
varnish dissolvent, but find the Brush Amalga-
mator superior to any other. It is put up by
the Zenith Chemical Works, of Chicago, at six
dollars per gallon."
I suppose that the idea is to rub down the
surfaces of the old piano with the steel wool
until they are smooth and then use the Amal-
gamator as a binding surface-coat to pull the
old varnish together. I presume that the new
surface is then built up on this basis. It sounds
all right, and if the Amalgamator works well
that ought to be all that is necessary.
ABOUT KEEPING SCRAP BOOKS
THE PACKARD LINE IN KANSAS CITY
Edison Shop Arranges to Handle Packard and
Bond Lines of Pianos Exclusively
FORT WAYNE, IND., September 18.—The Packard
Piano Co. reports that business, so far as it is
concerned, is showing a very encouraging im-
provement and all indications point to a splen-
did Fall business. The company has established
a number of very substantial agencies recently,
among them the Edison Shop in Kansas City,
Mo., which has heretofore handled only Edison
phonographs. When it was decided to put in
a line of pianos those at the head of the Edison
Shop selected the Packard and Bond lines,
which they will handle exclusively in that terri-
tory. An inspection of the Packard factory was
made before the deal was closed by the execu-
tives of the Edison Shop.
The following is also interesting from the
REMEDIES FOR BAD TREBLE TONE
same correspondent: "I have taken an old
"Dear Mr. White: Regarding that bad tone ledger and cut out part of each leaf and am
in the extreme treble, in the case where you pasting cuttings from The Review's Technical
MANY ENROLL AT POLK SCHOOL
recommend bending the hammer shanks to Department into it. This makes a neat scrap
make the hammers strike lower down:
book, besides giving me fresh information on Largest Enrollment in History at Tuning School
"Why not lower the action slightly by screw- subjects in which I may be interested. Pass the
—Future Outlook Bright
ing down the action props a little?
idea along, for I think that every tuner ought
"I have followed this plan in fitting in new to have a Review scrap book."
The Polk School of Piano Tuning, Valparaiso,
actions and have found it very satisfactory. Of
Ind., has just opened its twenty-third successful
course, in the case of old actions, to let the
year with a larger enrollment than ever before
COMMUNICATIONS
treble end down much would throw the bass
in its history, according to a report by W. R.
hammers and dampers away off, but I have are solicited and always welcome. They should Powell, secretary. The student body consists
sometimes lowered the whole action with very be sent to William Braid White, care The of many dealers, salesmen and tuners who have
satisfactory results. Respectfully, A. R. Bell, Music Trade Review, 373 Fourth avenue, New come to the school to obtain a thorough knowl-
Greensboro, N. C."
York, N. Y.
edge of all the modern makes and models of
When the action can be let down at one end
player and electric player-piano mechanisms.
without damaging the line of the hammers at
The management has just added all of the
THOS. A. EDISON'S CONTRIBUTION
their other end it ought to be all right to do as
very latest creations in the player industry to
Mr. Bell suggests. But there is danger in med-
A despatch from Alexandropol, Armenia, the equipment and is prepared to train men
dling with the action in this way, simply be- states that sixty carloads of foodstuffs which to become thoroughly expert in every phase of
cause the effect may go further than one wished the school children of New Jersey contributed player-piano and electric player-piano tuning,
it to. On the other hand, of course, hammer- to the American Orphan City, where the Near repairing and rebuilding.
lines are usually too high rather than too low
The outlook for the future has never been so
and tone can often be improved by a general East Relief is maintaining 20,000 Armenian good. Nearly all of the manufacturers have
children,
have
arrived
there.
Among
the
in-
letting down from end to end.
teresting items were seventy-seven cases of placed their actions in the school, for instruc-
phonographs, the personal gift of Thos. A. tion purposes, and have furnished assistance in
OLD ACTIONS THAT STICK
many ways.
Edison.
"Dear Mr. White: I am having trouble with
an old action which sticks in the treble, but not
in the key part of the action. Have the springs
become weak through age? Or is the action
THE CELEBRATED
perhaps not well balanced? A. R. Bell, Greens-
boro, N. C."
It is not unusual to find old actions without
any hammer-spring rail. In this case the
remedy is, of course, obvious. Damper springs
do not often fail, but in old pianos this some-
times occurs. It is not difficult to make trial
of them, and if they appear to have lost their
(FELTEN & GUILLEAUME)
life they may be replaced, possibly with the re-
pair springs which I mentioned last week.
In a good many old actions one finds cen-
ters not so well designed and made as they
are in modern work. If the centers on the pres-
ent case are sticking the bushings may be shrunk
by touching- them with a little alcohol-water
IN BLACK, RED and GREEN
mixture (two parts water to one part alcohol),
LABEL BRANDS
but it would be well also to look to the pins
and see whether any of these have become stuck
up with verdigris through exposure to damp-
ness. In older days actions were not always
protected by the use of German silver and other
precautions.
F & G
IMPORTED
MUSIC WIRE
IS UNEXCELLED
A METHOD FOR REFINISHINQ CASES
A correspondent presents the following ob-
USED PIANOS
Repaired—Ready to Retail
The " F & G " Blue Label Brand is again being
used by Rudolph C. Koch in the manufacture
of the Reinwarth Covered Bass Strings
For TUNERS and REPAIRERS we have the
convenient one quarter pound clamps
All Make* from
$4O up
F. O. B. Brooklyn, in carloads of 12 or more.
Any quantity. Less than carload lots also.
HILL & SONS
Phone Evergreen 8180
1365-1375 Myrtle Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
HAMMACHER, SCHLEMMER & CO.
PIANO AND PLAYER HARDWARE, FELTS AND TOOLS
NEW YORK SINCE 1848
4th Ave. and 13th St.
SEPTEMBER 23, 1922
THE
out the treble. Given this level the question of
weight for each string is easily solved from the
pitch and length. The core and covering wire
may then be directly determined from the tables.
Now, the point of all this discussion is sim-
ply that if the bass section be designed with
such an approach to scientific accuracy as I have
indicated it will always be possible to determine
in advance a design and construction which will
give a bass tolerably uniform in result with the
rest of the piano. And it is the moral of this
argument that the neglect of these precautions,
a neglect far more common than is usually sup-
posed, nullifies so many well-meant attempts at
good tone production.
The piano trade needs a little understanding
of these facts and a discussion of this sort can-
not therefore be other than useful.
MUSIC TRADE
13
REVIEW
servations on refinishing cases. He says: "For
refinishing cases I now invariably use Brush
Amalgamator with steel wool and the best
brush obtainable. I have tried four kinds of
varnish dissolvent, but find the Brush Amalga-
mator superior to any other. It is put up by
the Zenith Chemical Works, of Chicago, at six
dollars per gallon."
I suppose that the idea is to rub down the
surfaces of the old piano with the steel wool
until they are smooth and then use the Amal-
gamator as a binding surface-coat to pull the
old varnish together. I presume that the new
surface is then built up on this basis. It sounds
all right, and if the Amalgamator works well
that ought to be all that is necessary.
ABOUT KEEPING SCRAP BOOKS
THE PACKARD LINE IN KANSAS CITY
Edison Shop Arranges to Handle Packard and
Bond Lines of Pianos Exclusively
FORT WAYNE, IND., September 18.—The Packard
Piano Co. reports that business, so far as it is
concerned, is showing a very encouraging im-
provement and all indications point to a splen-
did Fall business. The company has established
a number of very substantial agencies recently,
among them the Edison Shop in Kansas City,
Mo., which has heretofore handled only Edison
phonographs. When it was decided to put in
a line of pianos those at the head of the Edison
Shop selected the Packard and Bond lines,
which they will handle exclusively in that terri-
tory. An inspection of the Packard factory was
made before the deal was closed by the execu-
tives of the Edison Shop.
The following is also interesting from the
REMEDIES FOR BAD TREBLE TONE
same correspondent: "I have taken an old
"Dear Mr. White: Regarding that bad tone ledger and cut out part of each leaf and am
in the extreme treble, in the case where you pasting cuttings from The Review's Technical
MANY ENROLL AT POLK SCHOOL
recommend bending the hammer shanks to Department into it. This makes a neat scrap
make the hammers strike lower down:
book, besides giving me fresh information on Largest Enrollment in History at Tuning School
"Why not lower the action slightly by screw- subjects in which I may be interested. Pass the
—Future Outlook Bright
ing down the action props a little?
idea along, for I think that every tuner ought
"I have followed this plan in fitting in new to have a Review scrap book."
The Polk School of Piano Tuning, Valparaiso,
actions and have found it very satisfactory. Of
Ind., has just opened its twenty-third successful
course, in the case of old actions, to let the
year with a larger enrollment than ever before
COMMUNICATIONS
treble end down much would throw the bass
in its history, according to a report by W. R.
hammers and dampers away off, but I have are solicited and always welcome. They should Powell, secretary. The student body consists
sometimes lowered the whole action with very be sent to William Braid White, care The of many dealers, salesmen and tuners who have
satisfactory results. Respectfully, A. R. Bell, Music Trade Review, 373 Fourth avenue, New come to the school to obtain a thorough knowl-
Greensboro, N. C."
York, N. Y.
edge of all the modern makes and models of
When the action can be let down at one end
player and electric player-piano mechanisms.
without damaging the line of the hammers at
The management has just added all of the
THOS. A. EDISON'S CONTRIBUTION
their other end it ought to be all right to do as
very latest creations in the player industry to
Mr. Bell suggests. But there is danger in med-
A despatch from Alexandropol, Armenia, the equipment and is prepared to train men
dling with the action in this way, simply be- states that sixty carloads of foodstuffs which to become thoroughly expert in every phase of
cause the effect may go further than one wished the school children of New Jersey contributed player-piano and electric player-piano tuning,
it to. On the other hand, of course, hammer- to the American Orphan City, where the Near repairing and rebuilding.
lines are usually too high rather than too low
The outlook for the future has never been so
and tone can often be improved by a general East Relief is maintaining 20,000 Armenian good. Nearly all of the manufacturers have
children,
have
arrived
there.
Among
the
in-
letting down from end to end.
teresting items were seventy-seven cases of placed their actions in the school, for instruc-
phonographs, the personal gift of Thos. A. tion purposes, and have furnished assistance in
OLD ACTIONS THAT STICK
many ways.
Edison.
"Dear Mr. White: I am having trouble with
an old action which sticks in the treble, but not
in the key part of the action. Have the springs
become weak through age? Or is the action
THE CELEBRATED
perhaps not well balanced? A. R. Bell, Greens-
boro, N. C."
It is not unusual to find old actions without
any hammer-spring rail. In this case the
remedy is, of course, obvious. Damper springs
do not often fail, but in old pianos this some-
times occurs. It is not difficult to make trial
of them, and if they appear to have lost their
(FELTEN & GUILLEAUME)
life they may be replaced, possibly with the re-
pair springs which I mentioned last week.
In a good many old actions one finds cen-
ters not so well designed and made as they
are in modern work. If the centers on the pres-
ent case are sticking the bushings may be shrunk
by touching- them with a little alcohol-water
IN BLACK, RED and GREEN
mixture (two parts water to one part alcohol),
LABEL BRANDS
but it would be well also to look to the pins
and see whether any of these have become stuck
up with verdigris through exposure to damp-
ness. In older days actions were not always
protected by the use of German silver and other
precautions.
F & G
IMPORTED
MUSIC WIRE
IS UNEXCELLED
A METHOD FOR REFINISHINQ CASES
A correspondent presents the following ob-
USED PIANOS
Repaired—Ready to Retail
The " F & G " Blue Label Brand is again being
used by Rudolph C. Koch in the manufacture
of the Reinwarth Covered Bass Strings
For TUNERS and REPAIRERS we have the
convenient one quarter pound clamps
All Make* from
$4O up
F. O. B. Brooklyn, in carloads of 12 or more.
Any quantity. Less than carload lots also.
HILL & SONS
Phone Evergreen 8180
1365-1375 Myrtle Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
HAMMACHER, SCHLEMMER & CO.
PIANO AND PLAYER HARDWARE, FELTS AND TOOLS
NEW YORK SINCE 1848
4th Ave. and 13th St.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).