Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Mason Hamlin BB 1927 - Confusion about hitch-pin pattern?

Ok, thanks.

Thanks to J Silva, who cleared this up for me, based on his own Mason Hamlin BB, which fortuitously had the exact same tenor hitch pin configuration. At least on these BBs, it is not looped strings all the way to the bass end, but rather, one single wire each at the furthest-left and furthest-right hitches, the rest loops. Some of the hitch-to-bridge angles and aliquot positioning still look a little extreme, but hey, that's how Mason Hamlin chose to scale them

I zoomed in on those bridge caps, and i must say, leaving all those bridge pin cracks is unacceptable in my book. You are really missing out on what that pianos potential is. I go one step further than just replacing the caps, i replace with a more dense species of wood than was used originally. Then i follow up with very carefully setting the downbearing so as not to overload the board and getting the most resonance out of it. And it all pays off in nice clean tones that will last.

-chris

If you do not like it, you can pay him to do what you want him to. Otherwise, it is not your call to make.

BDB,
I'm sure you don't like leaky roofs, and mine has a leak. So you pay for my new roof and i'll pay for his bridge caps.
-chris

+1

Chris, you are a purest, a piano-rebuilding perfectionist, and I appreciate that. But you weigh in on other people's rebuilding jobs and what should be installed or done - new bridges, new soundboards, etc. - without being part of the conversation with the particular piano owner and their needs and economic realities. As such, you come off as rather arrogant. Until we rebuilding peasants and all our customers can afford to ship all our rebuilding jobs to you for that perfect Chernobieff restoration, you might want to back off a bit. :-)

In no way did i suggest the work come to me. Nor, am i a purest, but i just think a job should be done right. Crappy work is a black eye to the whole industry of rebuilding. Since you're in California, i suggest you or client send the work to Erwin Piano Restorations, their work is stellar.

On crappy work, i'll say it for what it is. On good work i'll praise it.

-chris

And as regards to a customers budget. On numerous occassions I have done new bridge caps for free. Among other piano stuff. Simply because i want to build a good reputation and i recognized a long time a go, its not a piano business, its a make people happy business.

The cost of a new bridge cap is nothing when you compare it to a customer who wants to send you referrals.

Try it.

-chris

Ending this thread on a sour note once again, I see he's still doing it. Hah!