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Unknown Player Action in Broadwood Grand Piano
By Glen McGowan

A couple of days ago I became the owner of a Broadwood player grand
piano.  This piano is a six foot grand and has a really nice sound.

I went on the Internet to see what I could learn about it.  I am
looking for a technical manual for this piano.  I believe the date of
manufacture is around 1910, based on the serial number and information
from the Broadwood web site.

There are no names or labels on the piano except the fall board decal
and a name on the back of the box where the piano roll is placed.  The
name on there is Broadwood.

John Tuttle's web site lists three possible manufacturers for the
player mechanism.  It doesn't appear to be any of the three.  It is
not Ampico and is not a reproducing piano.  The tracker bar does not
have a sustain hole.  Each pneumatic has a thin leather gasket and is
held in place with two long wires that have screw threads on one end
and are threaded for a nut on the other.  These wires straddle the
pneumatic and a metal strap with a hole in each end crosses over the
pneumatic.

The roll mechanism doesn't seem to have any tracking system.  Under
the right hand side of the keyboard is some sort of a diaphragm that
controls the air flow to the motor.  It has a fairly heavy flat spring
and a bar that slides to adjust the tension.  This controls the amount
of air going to the motor.

On the left side under the keyboard are two more of these diaphragms
with the springs.  I don't know what they do.

The pneumatics appear to have been rebuilt.  Only one needs to be
recovered because it rubbed on a piece of wire and wore a hole in the
bellows cloth.  I played a test roll and the piano doesn't repeat notes
very well.  It does create a good vacuum and doesn't seem to have any
leaks except the one pneumatic.

Can you tell me what this player mechanism is and point me in a
direction that might get me some technical information?

Thanks,
Glen McGowan


(Message sent Wed 1 Dec 2010, 14:36:34 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Action, Broadwood, Grand, Piano, Player, Unknown

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