Strikeline Issue on Mark I Stage Piano

[drums1225]

Hey all,

Was just auditioning a new keyboard player for my jazz-funk group and in the middle of a song, he looked at me like a little kid who broke a vase. At first, I thought he had broken a tine, but actually the Bb key (below middle C) key sank and didn't return back up. I took the lid off and it became apparent that the strikeline was way off center, and when hitting the Bb with any force, the hammer tip was hitting the tine, then glancing off the side and getting hung up above the tine, causing the problem I described.

This has never happened before and I actually have two other guys coming over to audition this evening. I know it's a longshot, but if anyone sees this in time to advise me on how to correct this issue, I'd be greatly appreciative. I'm a drummer, so I might not be using correct terminology, but I hope I described the problem clearly enough.

Thanks,
Chris

[David Aubke]

If it's a problem across the entire keyboard, I think your best bet is to reposition the harp but that's not something you can do in a rush.

I think the fastest way to remedy the situation is to loosen the hex bolt that attaches the tine to the tone bar, reposition the tine so that it aligns with the hammer then re-tighten the bolt. You may then need to loosen the smaller hex bolt that fastens the pickup to the wood rail and push the pickup over to align with the tine.

Not the ideal way to resolve the issue but it would get the key working quickly.

[drums1225]

Thanks for your reply. Actually, I just kind of "reset" the stuck hammer and it didn't happen again. The first guy must have been really slamming, because the two other guys played pretty aggressively at times, and there were no issues (and we played a bunch of C minor tunes, so the Bb key was getting a workout). Clearly a long term solution is in order, but if I remember correctly, I don't think it's an issue across the whole harp. I could be wrong, because I was in crisis/panic mode and just focused on the immediate problem.

Thanks again,
Chris