The only KZfaq video that really shows the action of spinet piano, awesome job, really appreciate it 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

I have an old spinnet, and I've re built and furnished it as a project. Your video is so informative and comprehensive. Thank you!

Thank you for posting this

I just purchased a 1957 piano and my husband and I are trying our hand at making necessary repairs, as first time piano repair persons ... using that term VERY loosely. :) I just wanted to THANK YOU for such informative videos...they are greatly appreciated. Also, I am placing my first order with Howard Piano Industries and am looking forward to receiving the items I need, including 34 plastic elbows, which need to be replaced...the remainder had been replaced some time by a previous own. BLESSINGS

I will be most likely becoming VERY familiar with purchases from Howard Piano. I have the mother of all spinet problems. First, if it wasn't for this video I wouldn't even know what to call it. So thanks for that because I was perplexed why mine was the only one out of all (most) repair/informative videos that had those "wires" (drop lifter), and without knowing the correct term for it, I didn't know how to Google it and describe that piece to get search results about it. Flying blind basically. Now, thinking I had it all figured out, I removed the entire action from my Baldwin 1966 Spinet, and figured it's mostly the same as any vertical. It had the bolts on the harp, it had handles to pull it up and out. Just when I thought I had everything unattached and ready to just pull it out after inspecting every piece where it attaches 5 times, making sure anything holding it down was removed, I pull it out, and IT WON'T COME OUT. It's jammed, so I lower it back onto the bolts and support board that goes across at the very bottom, and I see a backcheck (knowing all these terms I owe to you, so I'm very grateful), and it got caught on I guess that back of the wood that the keys go on. Also, those dropped lift wires I had to unhook from the forks on the back of the keys, and i removed all these keys too to clean everything thoroughly. Upon popping off those rods, i guess the little washers between the rods and forks were so dry and brittle, EVERY single one cracked and the remainder stuck to the screw/nuts at the end of each drop lift rod. So will need to purchase THAT as well, lol. To finish getting the action out, I knew I already damaged a back check- bent wire, broken bridle, all that. So I made sure I pushed from under ever backcheck and parts on the whippen out of the way, so I could raise and lift the action out again. Nope. I don't know why it kept getting snagged on something- and it's heavy, so ONCE AGAIN, I lower it back down to the bolts, and this time when I look under to see what's snagging.....it looked like a bomb exploded under there. Whippens cracked, backchecks dangling, bridle rods bent, snap straps, parts that aren't even supposed to be there, all weaved in like a braid into each other- it was a massacre. At least entire mechanisms were down. At this point, it's all about the strings, which are fine and just need tuning. My focus at this point is don't pop a string. Keep it together. Of course, I'm cursing every words from here to heck and kicking myself in the rear, in a slight panic. I just wanted to remove the action and clean it, also to transport the piano I wanted to strip of as many pieces to make it lighter, cause I have no lifting equipment other than a 2 wheel dolly and had to move it myself- no budget to buy piano-moving-specific carts. With 6 hammers and just that whole action for each looking like minced wood and metal wire dangling and everything they attached to cracked, bent or snapped, I had a Hulk moment and said "Well, not I'm definitely invested and have my work cut out for me, and since I'm certainly going to now have to buy parts and whippens, springs, flanges all that, WHO CARES how many at this point!" and attempt one more lifting of all the action out- it gets caught again, and like a barbarian and not caring at this point, I rip it out of the compartment and FINALLY get it out! Nothing happened to the harp any parts on the action or the soundboard where it holds the brackets in place, and also the string were unharmed. So now, I'm sitting in front of an action that will need everything from at least 10 sets of bridle straps, to springs, possibly entire whippens were flanges and pins got bent or torn off, the little washes for the drop lifter wire, and just a whole bunch of pieces- plus extras because I figure I might as well overhaul some parts on the actions that are still in tack. All in all- out of 88, 10 for sure will need every piece from the drop lift wire washers that hold the rod to the forks alllllllll the way to the hammer head, screws and all. Then I'd like to replace all the hammer springs, but as i am noticing (and also with the bridle straps) it is a MONUMENTAL task, since the straps are not the clip ons, the actually go into the hole of the hammer butts, and the springs might be glued into the whipen holes. They come off the hammer hole easily, then won't from the whippens. This is a VERY amibitious project, and I want to save this piano. I don't want to quit and hire someone to do it- I know I can. Thanks to you and all the videos and parts, and explanations about the techniques needed to perform what you demonstrate, its all a matter of the right parts, the know-how, and the patience of gold, and I understand all this and am fully committed to taking this on this huge challenge. What do you suggest and what are your thoughts, if any? Specifically about the drop lift wires/rods and those little washers, and those pesky bridle straps on the rest of the actions that are good? The straps look so dry and fragile on all the keys. Also same thing with the hammer springs? It's safe to say that for the completely broken individual actions, I'll be better off buying new sets, and just screwing them on - by the whippen and hammer butt flanges. But I'd like to replace all the washers for all the key forks, since they are removed as it stands, and anything else I can also do before it's all said and done. Or am I stupid thinking I should do all this, instead of buying an entire brand new action with all 88 parts in perfect condition- if that even exists for this piano model? LOL Thanks again for all you do! You are definitely the only authority I trust, and the most thorough, and complete who covers everything- not just one piece.

I have a Baldwin Spinet and the drop lifter wires connect to the whippen with no elbow. What is the rod that sticks up directly behind the drop lifters? There are a few of these in my piano that are bent. I'm not sure if these bent wires are causing the following problem, but I'm trying to diagnose it so I can fix it: I have to almost unscrew the nuts on the top of the drop lifters in order to attach the key to the action. This leaves the key almost completely depressed and sounds, but will not move much at all. How do I fix this problem?

I have a spinet upright piano where the hammer fails to fall back after it strikes the strings. What could be causing that?

< Most motivational ! Thanks ¡

since the action is a bit more difficult to get to when in the piano do you have any tips on regulating that might be different than on a "regular" piano ?

I have a 32 years old spinet still survives :)

my spinet has a bunch of bobbly hammers, I can't find what to do about this. Any help?

Just got a George Steck spinet piano and need to fix a couple broken keys that have broken grommets. They look like the ones on the action in your video - what are those? They're square but all I can find are the donut ones.

My spinet has some keys that, when pressed, do not always make contact with the strings. They all come very close! I have watched a few videos but haven’t seen this problem addressed.

Techs that say working on a spinet is hard are just trying to charge extra!

Very poor and superficial information