Mellotronists

On Oct 1, 2005, at 12:07 PM, Jack Younger wrote:

> Hey!
>      Key straightening is pretty simple in theory, but
> a long careful process.  Anybody needing advice can
> contact me here and I will gladly take you through it.
>     You'll need a few things:  A decent heat gun, some
> good woodworking clamps, about $5 in pennies (loose),
> a plastic bag and a lot of patience.  The pennies and
> the bag are used for an adjustable weight source.
>      You'll need to do repeated treatments over many
> days/weeks, but it's worth it.  Markus turned me on to
> the method and it's quite sound.  EMI103S was a
> craggly, twisted monstrosity, with keys rubbing and
> catching on each other and now it's as good as new!
>      I can't stress enough, however, that it does
> require some definite skill and a familiarity with the
> basic properties of wood.  Do Not attempt to mess with
> your 'tron keys unless you know what you're doing.
> They can easily be irreparably damaged.
> Cheers!
> -Jack Younger
> EMI103S "The Orthodontitron"

There's a very easy way to get warped keys straightened: find a good 
piano technician, not just anyone, but one whose reputation people 
vouch for, because Jack is right. You can severely mess things up.

A piano technician is trained to do stuff like this and a lot of their 
repair time (as opposed to tuning) is spent regulating keyboards. It's 
well worth spending the money and having the job done correctly.

Just my opinion...

Rick