Jody said: "I'd like to encourage others to write in about the Violano."

In my recent article about Player Piano Company, I mentioned the Violano
Virtuoso there, and that the violin is badly out of tune.  I was told
that Durrell would like to have it tuned, but he wants it done without
removing it from the machine.  Is it possible to tune the violin without
removing it?   How is this done?

Joyce Brite
brite@ksu.edu       http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~brite/

 [ Editor's Note:
 [
 [ This is Jody (Robbie edited the rest tonight).  If I recall, the
 [ weights that pull on the strings operate through a "bell crank", and
 [ the distance the weight is from the fulcrum determines the tension on
 [ the strings.  I would expect (but don't know this for a fact) that
 [ as the string age, their spring constant changes and the weights have
 [ to be moved "in" or "out" from the fulcrum (using a couple of nuts).
 [ This _IS_ done without disassembling the instrument.  There are four
 [ ivory buttons that individually actuate each of the violin strings
 [ so that the routine task of tuning the violin to the piano's pitch
 [ can be done easily.
 [
 [ Jody