First post here. So I'm not even totally sure what this is called. Maybe someone here knows for sure. it's a got 4 octaves, two below and two above middle C. It has all the same controls and cabinet as the Sparkle Top 73, a mono jordan preamp, plastic hammer arms, a metal pedestal bump. This is all original and never modified. Everything works. I replaced one pickup with another from the same era. The action felt "sluggish" and I couldn't really play soft, and after much internal debate, I decided to try sanding down the hammers, and that made a HUGE difference. It's fun to play now, although escapement probably isn't ideal. I have an acoustic piano tech friend who seems willing to help me shave the bottom off the harp supports so that I can bring the harp closer to the hammers, so I may try that next. I may also have a lead on suitable hammers... so I'm not totally sure what to try next.
I've been reading a ton from this forum, and it's been so helpful and I've been learning a lot. I'm hoping to make this instrument super fun to play while keeping it all original, and trying hard to not do anything too stupid!
I just snapped some photos, and recorded a couple little audio samples. These are right off the harp, not through the preamp, but the preamp and vibrato sounds really good too. here's a download link, if it doesn't show up as a hyperlink, copy/paste into a browser and it should start a download to your downloads folder (at least that's how it works for me).
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5tei1ij1sfnec35tganwq/AD_7ta_-KwMEJyRSubkhrEI?rlkey=gv4byc5zowux21szp7rm9jite&dl=1
If you have any advice or experience, I would love to know a person or two who has gone through this before me.
Chris
I've been reading a ton from this forum, and it's been so helpful and I've been learning a lot. I'm hoping to make this instrument super fun to play while keeping it all original, and trying hard to not do anything too stupid!
I just snapped some photos, and recorded a couple little audio samples. These are right off the harp, not through the preamp, but the preamp and vibrato sounds really good too. here's a download link, if it doesn't show up as a hyperlink, copy/paste into a browser and it should start a download to your downloads folder (at least that's how it works for me).
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5tei1ij1sfnec35tganwq/AD_7ta_-KwMEJyRSubkhrEI?rlkey=gv4byc5zowux21szp7rm9jite&dl=1
If you have any advice or experience, I would love to know a person or two who has gone through this before me.
Chris