Yamaha G1 grand "d" stopped dead by errant rifle cartrigde

[AUSSIEKEYS]

Moved my Yamaha G1 home recently via recommended removalists,

all went perfectly, and would recommend them

 

this piano was said to be resident piano at Redfern RSL a noted high profile international artist gig room [in its time]

 

2 notes stuffed upon relocation...lowest note would not compress properly let alone play, and "d" 1 octave above middle C [number 54 key I think , off top of my head] was sitting at half mast and would continue to ring after hitting as if sustain was pressed

 

Ironically though within 10 minutes of setting up the piano, whole keyboard was back within tune with itself, as if no moving had happened

 

I took a few weeks to let it settle amd viewed the errant notes to work a plan of repair.

 

once the moving of my dads estate was over, I set down to pull the keys apart

 

firstly upon lifting the lowest note a guitar plectrum/pick

was found blocking the notes action...problem solved

 

now to the "d"...this was difficult to see, after lifting 4 or 5 neighbouring notes up, it was clear something was blocking that one note from sitting straight at the back...thus lowering the front..

 

finally it was found...a rifle cartridge

a rifle cartridge had lodged itself under the key...

 

I simply slid a thin shaft into the cartride and a bent rod behind dragged the cartridge forward and safely out of the keybed..

 

upon reassembly all is perfect again, no damage done as the rear of the keys was sitting on the cartridge and no playing pressure applied to it so no damage to key as far as I see

 

all is well in Aussiekeys piano life again

 

[Mike Warren]

I'm glad you fixed it so simply.

 

[AUSSIEKEYS]

thanks mike

 

I was determined to do it myself as it is purely a mechanical beast and I believe evrything unboltable is replaceable in reverse order...hee hee

 

the amazing thing is it is still in its same state of good tune...

 

link to other thread with a little more history on this piano. Stiletto heals and all.

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2302483/Baby_Grande_moving_question#Post2302483

[dazzjazz]

Who are you?

I did that horrible gig many times!!

 

Darren

[Joe Muscara]

I was determined to do it myself as it is purely a mechanical beast and I believe evrything unboltable is replaceable in reverse order...hee hee

If you intend to go further with working on it yourself, I recommend this book. Sorry it's a US Amazon link, hopefully you can get this book in OZ.

 

Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding: For the Professional, the Student, and the Hobbyist

[Joe P]

Hey AK,

Isn't it great when things turn out like that? I would love to see some pics of this piano.

Regards,

Joe

[johnchop]

[video:youtube]grlNm410FCU

[AUSSIEKEYS]

Who are you?

I did that horrible gig many times!!

 

Darren

 

Me....probably no one

 

but from 1979 on some Sydney people may recognise my first years in Nulenvoid [pronounced Null and void]many bands in between and my last years in a reasonably successful club/pub duo called Go With The Flow before lung problems from the smoke in the clubs took me out of full time gigging.[ironically it knocked me out of a few projects before this] but as a person's name I am no one.

 

We had this piano in the family for years before I recently received it. This piano would have been probably resident at Redfern in the 80's or 90's [i cant remember what year dad purchased it],

 

It was purchased from the "famous" Chris Marshall as a "trade in" from Redfern [or at least the story goes.], the marks and dents would bare some truth to Chris Marshall's claim which to many people at the time would be a turn off. To us dad only had so much money, so it's negative providence [then] suited our pocket, that providence is a plus to me...

 

a piano who worked hard during it's life continues to make two players very happy,

 

it's like a racehoarse allowed out to pasture to still feel the thrill of a club player/singer and his wife [daughter of club player, who would have a good profile name in his time]

 

this is what providence means to me...a knocked around club piano that holds it's key thru any move and makes me an exclub performer happy ....who said only guitarists can bond with their instruments.

[AUSSIEKEYS]

[video:youtube]grlNm410FCU

 

yes john

 

very much like that

 

loved it

 

good memories too

 

thanks

[AUSSIEKEYS]

Hey AK,

Isn't it great when things turn out like that? I would love to see some pics of this piano.

Regards,

Joe

 

hey joe, will try to get a shot of the piano so you can see its life scars, and one of the cartridge

[AUSSIEKEYS]

I was determined to do it myself as it is purely a mechanical beast and I believe evrything unboltable is replaceable in reverse order...hee hee

If you intend to go further with working on it yourself, I recommend this book. Sorry it's a US Amazon link, hopefully you can get this book in OZ.

 

Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding: For the Professional, the Student, and the Hobbyist

 

thanks Joe

 

yes will intend to service this when I feel there is a need

 

[i am a mechanical person as well and have pulled apart my numerous vintage cars and vintage keyboards as well as having owned Australia's only secondhand radio control car shop in the 80's, where rebuilding things mechanical was part of the business]..

 

I feel if time is taken any thing can be repaired with patience but do believe in reference material to understand the workings pre dissasembly...so thank you.

 

This piano had already received our family's mechanical repairs as dad used to replace strings, for he was heavy handed when doing his singing practise [ie scales], much to my dismay as I already knew this piano was destined to be my baby.

 

 

Most mid upper strings had been replaced by him due to he singing over the top of each note and needing to continually beat the note harder to hear his own voice..I hated him doing it but for a man at that time approaching 80 years old his voice was amazingly strong...as soon as he started becoming frailer [further into his 80's] no more notes were broken, plus probably my mumblings may have helped here.hee hee

 

but at the time I could not convince him to practise in a less brutal manner, though normally he taught students with his guitar, but his love was to practise by chasing the piano trying to out do each other [probably proving he was not ready to be put to pasture, a bit like this piano]...or that was my take on it...who is to deny a long time muso and singing teacher his own methods when he indeed owned this piano.

 

after being chastised by his piano tuner [verbally and money wise...hee hee] he bought the tools and replaced the strings and tuned it himself..[this did not mean he ceased the tuners visits, they just could now be less common]

 

ironically after this singing abuse it still wont go out of tune..is this a freak piano or what?

 

providence, reluctance to go out of tune, knocking around with the non player grandchildren of my father, what could not be a more fitting way for a club piano to live out its existance...still used but loved for its history and service to Aussie performance.

 

viva ex clubbies.

 

 

[Jon May]

Which begs the question...how did a frickin' cartridge get into the piano in the first place?? I mean, I know Redfern can be a bit rough...

[stillplaying]

Which begs the question...how did a frickin' cartridge get into the piano in the first place?? I mean, I know Redfern can be a bit rough...

 

Got a gig with a couple of brothers, one of whom was recently released from jail. They're putting their band back together for a big charity fundraiser. Anyway ...

 

By a strange coincidence I was in trying out a second hand electric piano in my local branch of Keyboards R Us. It's the one on the Tayside Delta, that great breeding ground for Bluesmen. Anyway, played one and had to tell the visually impaired owner ...

 

"Hey Ray ... the action's all shot ..."

 

He popped the lid, removed a lead slug and promptly played a very pleasant little ditty about birds waving their tail plumage ... which was nice.

 

 

[Jon May]

What a concidence that he was blind and his name was Ray , cos...wait a minute...

[AUSSIEKEYS]

Which begs the question...how did a frickin' cartridge get into the piano in the first place?? I mean, I know Redfern can be a bit rough...

 

yep...was waiting for this question

 

it is due to a design peculiarity of this piano and others

 

the keyboard lid is hinged via a slide-in system at each end which leaves the entire rear of the lid open to the string area when it is lifted...if anything is resident on the lid it simply slides into the strings and key arms. [i imagine it is done this way so as to make access to the key mechanism simpler.]

 

Not a problem in many situations but in well used areas people simply dont understand that anything on the lid will simply roll into the piano gizzards.

 

When it was resident at dad's place these fallen things did not impeded the action, upon removal in which the piano is moved sitting sideways , everything loose inside slides down until it reaches an immovable object, usually one of the outriggers on the harp frame. Here the cartridge stopped its fall to block the use of key 55, the other key the guitar pic simply pivoted upwards and lodged under the key stopping the key by making it feel spungy as the pic deflected but restricting the correct throw of the key thus stopping any hammer strike.

 

Now at first on finding the cartridge I was astounded thinking all sorts of wonderful scenarios in my head...but my friend standing beside me said "I remember seeing a cartridge sitting on the very top of the piano weeks before the move...instantly my wild thoughts were destroyed,

 

It is now believed it was a cartridge that was sitting in a sculpture bowl I had made as a young art student...the cartridge was oxidised and had a small bit of deteriation on the oxide, thus a cartridge that was probably lying in the dirt, was it a relic from dads WW2 days in the airforce or simply those errant cartridges that seem to appear in boxes of other junk?

 

This was also validated by the numerous guitar pics found in the gizzards as dad was a guitarist who probably left the guitar picks on the lid, often the grandchildren would plonk on the piano and would not understand the mechanism of the lid lift.

 

Well this is the only answer I see when both my friend and wife remember seeing a cartridge on the piano.

 

Not as exiting but still a testiment to a design peculiarity [perhaps design error?] in that it is now considered normal that a grand piano be placed in a family environment especially from a modern manufacturer like Yamaha who made these now available at a price to suit the masses...maybe not you say...but a piano is for the masses not the elite too....sure they are meant to be pianos but inevitably in a family situation they also become furniture that holds family treasures on top.

 

Personally I detest people who say its a lovely piece of furniture, hence my love for its knocked around appearance, as for myself I will not allow anything but sheet music and my dad's vintage metronome on top. But my dad was a family man.

 

Morale of the story is ....children should be seen but not heard [preferably seen in chains]...or piano lids should be designed with piano hinges...hee hee.