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Proposed Minutes of the February 10, 2009 Meeting
by Allan N. Schumacker - RPT
A regular meeting of the L. I. Nassau Chapter PTG was held on February 10, 2009 at Frank
and Camille’s Keyboard Center located at 371 Old Country Road in Carle Place, NY. In
attendance were eight chapter members and three guests.
President Michael Slavin called the meeting to order at 7:10 PM.
Given the absence of Secretary Marty Dinerstein to read the minutes for last month’s
meeting, the minutes as published in the on-line newsletter were accepted by general
consent.
Treasurer Paul Keogler reported on the status of the chapter’s finances. The report was
accepted by general consent.
Old Business:
Steinway and Sons is presenting a seminar for the Nassau and Suffolk County PTG
members on Friday, March 6, 2009, at the Steinway Piano Gallery located at 505
Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY. The seminar is scheduled to run from 9:00 AM to
3:30 PM.
New Business:
Michael Slavin gave a report on chapter members who had not yet renewed their
membership in PTG.
A letter from Camille Scheidemann inviting us to visit Yamaha’s Concert and Artist
facility in Manhattan on Thursday, March 12, 2009, was distributed. A chartered bus
is scheduled to depart Frank and Camille’s located at 371 Old County Road, Carle
Place, at 10:30 AM. Attendees will meet Mr. James Steeber, director of Yamaha’s
Concert and Artist Department. A tour of the facility will be provided. Technical
information on the preparation of Yamaha pianos for performances will also be
provided. A light lunch will be served. RSVP to Stephanie at 631-385-0606, by March
1, 2009.
Allan Schumacker brought up the matter of the need for a slate of officers to be
presented to the chapter so that elections can be held in April. Michael Slavin agreed
to tend to the matter.
The business meeting ended at 7:16 PM. At this time, our guest speaker for the evening,
Kent Webb of Steinway and Sons, was introduced.
Kent started his presentation by discussing current happenings at Steinway. He mentioned
that while sales of Boston and Essex pianos were being affected by current economic
conditions, sales of Steinway & Sons pianos were taking off due to the receipt by Steinway
and Sons of a purchase order from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of
Cincinnati for a large number of new Steinway & Sons pianos.
Kent mentioned that Ron Losby is the new President, Steinway & Sons-Americas. Mr.
Losby previously served as Managing Director of Steinway UK. Also mentioned was the
departure of Gary Green from Steinway and Sons.
Kent talked about the improvements to the Steinway piano hammer as a result of the
investment of $25,000 in a new caul used in the manufacture of hammers. Cupping of the
hammer felt is minimized, and as a result, much less filing of the hammers is needed.
Steinway & Sons has increased the amount of lacquer applied to the hammer felt for sets of
hammers destined for the parts department. The lacquer is applied prior to the sheet of felt
being sliced into individual hammers.
Another change in manufacturing is the way in which legs are mounted to the New York
grands. Grand piano legs are now attached in the same manner as those on Hamburg
Steinway pianos. In addition, all New York model B pianos come with Hamburg Steinway
style casters.
Kent changed the subject from manufacturing at Steinway & Sons to his travel tool case and
some of the tools he carries with him while traveling. He packs his tools in a plastic case
that has clear, plastic compartments, and can be rolled up. This was something that he
purchased at a drug store and is sold as a cosmetic case. All of his gear is packed into a
piece of luggage equipped with a pull up handle and wheels.
Included with the presentation of some of the tools with which he travels, were technical
tips and specifications for servicing pianos. Tools discussed included the following: a dial
gauge for measuring friction in action centers; a dial gauge for measuring composite down
bearing; a hammer head extractor that doubles as a tool for increasing the height of back-
checks; a brass rod for seating bridge pins; a string lifting tool; a custom made let-off
adjustment tool that was given to him as a gift; his light-weight tuning hammer; a pair of
pliers with parallel jaws that have been modified to serve as a swedging tool for loose,
grand underlever leads; a clothes pin to hold up a damper head; damper wire bending
pliers, with tape wrapped around one handle; a jewelers screwdriver that has been
modified for regulating drop screws (the handle is wrapped with masking tape and the
shaft covered with shrink tubing); and for reaming balance holes in keys, a fluted reamer
that is .148" in diameter and has four cutting edges.
One important tip that was mentioned by Kent, applied to the dilution of nitrocellulose
lacquer that is applied to hammer felt at the factory. Typically, lacquer that is used at the
factory contains 12% solids, and the recommended dilution ratio is one part lacquer to
three parts thinner. When purchasing lacquer, check the label for the solids content. If the
information isn’t stated on the product label, ask at the store for a copy of the
manufacturer’s Material Safety Data Sheet. The information on solids content should
appear on that sheet, and the store is required by law to have a copy.If the solid content of
the product is 25%, then increase the dilution of the preparation to 1:7 or 1:8 (one part
lacquer to seven or eight parts thinner).
The meeting ended at 8:30 PM.
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