I'm so ashamed...

[Alex Franke]

I went under the piano to adjust a sloppy pedal, and noticed that one of three the pedal levers was made from a beautiful curly maple. I could not resist... I disassembled it, pulled it out, and made a replacement from a much more boring board. Soon I'll be making some new pens!

[TB Roye]

So is there an issue? who is going to know the Piano?, the person who plays it? Enjoy the new pens, that's what is important.

Tom

[gsmittle]

So is there an issue? who is going to know the Piano?, the person who plays it? Enjoy the new pens, that's what is important.

Tom

Any competent pianist can tell that the pedal lever is now different! Boring wood has a different feel than maple! You might need to replace all three pedal levers with ebony now so the family pianist is mollified.

I kinda hate to say this since I love musical instruments, but you're putting that chunk of maple to much better use. Maybe you can "tune" the pens…

g.

[bullethead1964]

#1 that is wicked funny #2 wow, what a quality piano!!!!!

[Joe DeFazio]

Being a piano technician, I have probably seen more beautiful figured wood inside pianos where nobody but the piano technician ever sees it than I have in lumberyards. Even today, curly or birdseye maple will occasionally show up in hidden-away parts of new pianos. And that's not counting parts that were meant to be seen. I'm sure Dale Probst has seen a lot also. Back then, maple was maple, maple was cheap, and it probably seemed inexhaustible.

If it was the middle pedal, it probably won't be used very much if at all, so your pilfering won't probably make much of a difference. If it is the right or left pedal, the adjustment is simple but can be a little bit finicky, so have your piano technician check it out the next time you have the piano tuned, just to be sure that it is functioning optimally.

When possible, I do try to snatch some nicely figured parts whenever a piano has to be junked. For that matter, any unfigured wood that can be reused often ends up in my shop as well. So, I can see where you are coming from.

Enjoy those pens,

Joe

[herb fellows]

As we speak, we are sending your picture to all the museums that have furniture on display. You just can't be too careful with the likes of you :-)

[Pappy]

No piano....

Antique Wurlitzer organ....

Belonged to Boss's dad....

She would probably make me dig my own grave in 105 temps....

Time to hit free section of C/L!!!!!!!

[Alex Franke]

We both play it, and it doesn't sound or feel any different, but I still feel a bit like I've plundered an innocent instrument of some internal beauty. Bah -- enough of that. I'm over it.

My guess is that the people assembling the pianos probably don't even look at the pieces they're putting in. If it's the right size, has the right holes, and was found in the right bin, they they use it -- no matter if it's made of SYP or B&W ebony.

Thanks for the tip, Joe. I'll ask him to take a look.

[atgcpaul]

That's hilarious! Talk about that turning vortex, huh?

[Joe DeFazio]

Being a piano technician, I have probably seen more beautiful figured wood inside pianos where nobody but the piano technician ever sees it than I have in lumberyards. Even today, curly or birdseye maple will occasionally show up in hidden-away parts of new pianos.

Hey Alex,

Case in point! I tuned this one today. About 60 years old, American. The trapwork lever (pedal beam) had tight, even curl throughout its 1"x2"x30" length:

Similar to yours?

[BrazosJake]

Just hope that one of your descendants doesn't take it on antiques roadshow and find out it's a rare 18th-century SchnitzelGruben that would be worth $500,000 had great-uncle Joe not replaced the original pedal.

[Alex Franke]

Case in point! I tuned this one today. About 60 years old, American. The trapwork lever (pedal beam) had tight, even curl throughout its 1"x2"x30" length

Yes! Almost exactly -- except that mine was on the una corda pedal. What a coincidence! Actually, I'm not sure what the pedal really is... I think maybe it's not una corda because nothing shifts. Instead the hammers just move closer to the strings. (The middle one was new to me, too; it just drops a piece of felt down between the strings and hammers.)

I've added "trapwork" and "pedal beam" to my vocabulary now. Thanks!

Just hope that one of your descendants doesn't take it on antiques roadshow and find out it's a rare 18th-century SchnitzelGruben that would be worth $500,000 had great-uncle Joe not replaced the original pedal.

Yes, that would be just my luck. I hear they only made 15 of those... I don't think that will be a problem in this case, though.