impossible escapement

[suitcase'81]

hey guys,

I'm restoring a Mark II stage piano from '83. I've done all the usual things.
new felts, new grommets, new hammertips, keylevel, keydip, strikeline etc.
Now i am getting to set it up and i can't get the escapement right.
As a reference, i have tonebar 41 escapement screw cranked all the way down and it still leaves me with 6 mm from tine to hammertip.. any ideas?
if i leave the tonebar at 3/8" as stated in the manual i get around the 2 cm (0.79") of escapement .

[sean]

Are there wood shims on the top of the harp support on the left side?  You can lower the harp by removing shims.

Are your new hammertips a different size than the original hammer tips?

Did you remove a ton of felt or paper punchings from the balance rail when you played with the keylevel and keydip?

Is your key dip too small?


I hope that you have the thick factory-installed shim on top of the harp supports.  If it is glued on, try heating the glue to get it to release cleaner.

Is this a stage piano with wooden keys or with plastic keys?

Sean

[drpepper]

Some photos might help

[suitcase'81]

Are there wood shims on the top of the harp support on the left side?  You can lower the harp by removing shims.

Are your new hammertips a different size than the original hammer tips?

Did you remove a ton of felt or paper punchings from the balance rail when you played with the keylevel and keydip?

Is your key dip too small?


I hope that you have the thick factory-installed shim on top of the harp supports.  If it is glued on, try heating the glue to get it to release cleaner.

Is this a stage piano with wooden keys or with plastic keys?

Sean

Thanks for the reply.

Sadly there is no shim on the bass side of the piano to remove.
I didn't mess with the balancerail punchings as the keys are perfectly straight/alligned and keydip was within standard spec. (If it ain't broken don't fix it).
The piano is from '83 and has plastic keys and aluminum harp supports.
replacement hammertips are exactly the same as the ones i took off.

also, to add to my confusion. the harp pivot links were missing so i ordered a couple to make working on the piano easier, but i can't for the life of me figure out how to connect them.
My aluminum harp supports are "hollowed out" if that makes sense? ..

i will try to post some pictures asap..

thanks in advance for any help

[suitcase'81]

escapement:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/y8cDpB3P5ndutWvp7


harp support :
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6v267MZ1yy8nDr857

thanks!

[suitcase'81]

some more pics of keylevel en keydip.
and the "hollow"harp supports.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/6QKZNARPrFYXAXFT9  (how do i attach the pivot links to this ?!)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/scCR2YJG3F5w6q6e8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pBsCP5BrBYA5W3zV9

[sean]

Do you see those two flanges that stick out from the aluminum harp support to create a slot?  The screw to hold the back end of the harp support goes in there.

A #8-32 screw will fit loosely, and a #10-32 screw will be very snug.  I think you want a self-tapping #10-32 screw about 1/2" long.  If the screw bottoms out in the slot, add washers under the head of the screw.

See photo below.

Sean 

[sean]

Oh, by the way, read the service manual a bunch of times:  https://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/manual.html

See also the technotes at:  https://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/technotes.html

Sean

[Christian Clarke]

Sadly there is no shim on the bass side of the piano to remove.

Unless my eyes are deceiving me, I can see a shim on the harp support on the bass side.

[suitcase'81]

Your eyes are not deceiving you.
there was a shim on at the time this picture was taken. I was experimenting. It was not fixed in place and was removed before I started the impossible escapement topic.