Piano Solutions XXI: Damper Guide Rail Bushing

For more info please visit: www.pianosxxi.com / www.luxurycustompiano.com

[@BrianBeker]

Your videos are really terrific. Thank you so much for this one. As someone who is trying to rehab a piano for the first time (1907 S&S Model O), I had no idea of what I was getting into. Any time there is a video by you of one process or the other, it is always the most informative and helpful. I admire your skills enormously. The pianos you build must be superb instruments. As I'm preparing now to put bushings in the damper guide rail, I wonder one thing which hasn't been addressed here: How does one select the proper thickness of the bushing cloth? Does one simply add the thickness, multiplied by two, to the thickness of the damper wire? I suspect there's a little more to it than that and would be grateful for your advice. Thank you, Gene!

[@musicaldiscovery1434]

I came up with a rubber grommet that I use for this purpose. It just pops into the hole without having to weave it through or cut it and it gives better support to the damper wire laterally, which keeps it tracking in a straight line. It also does not compress and is not affected by humidity changes. I've also created foam front rail bushings that never compress and return the energy of the downward stroke back into the player's fingers for an increased speed of repetition. All the players that use them love them. Sometimes, instead off trying to come up with a tool to perform the same old process, a better answer might be to come up with better materials and a better process. A great example of this is what Kawai and Mason & Hamlin have done with their action parts. At first they were derided by our community as cheap plastic junk. But now they are lauded as phenomenal innovations in the industry. It takes time to change people's minds when they are so ingrained in one way of doing things.

[@fluterampal]

where can i buy these bushings?

[@musicaldiscovery1434]

You can't. I haven't marketed them. I just have them manufactured for my own piano work

[@robydean7]

As someone who has your years of experience, do you find that the diameter of most guide rail bushing holes to be uniform from manufacturer to manufacturer?

[@PIANOSXXI]

Thank you for watching my video and appreciate your question regarding the diameter of the guide rail bushing holes. From many years of experience tuning and rebuilding various piano brands, from antique to different unique designs. They differ from brand to brand and many various manufacturers use different techniques, material and felt quality. I will cover this topic in my next video and explore this subject further in Steinway piano brand.