Looking for a birdcage

[cjparsons80]

Hi, I just acquired a piano originally made in London that I got for free. The piano tuner just left and said that he may have been able to tune it except for a major problem with something called a birdcage. He says it needs to be completely replaced but he hasn't seen many of these in 25 years so he really can't help us find one. Does anyone have any idea if I should even be looking for one of if its a lost cause and just consider it now a piece of furniture. Thanks.

[cjparsons80]

The tuner said the birdcage thing is making the keys inconsistent and that some of the springs are worn out. He honestly said he hasn't had much experience with them (4 in 25 years) and has been able to consistently tune 1 which he still tunes to this day.

He said that whole component should come out and we should spend our time trying to find another birdcage to replace it with. Sorry if my terminology is off a bit. Right now he claims all we have is a big heavy piece of furniture. Does that sound right to others or is replacing the birdcage a pretty standard thing? I am in Newfoundland Canada where I would expect quite a few pieces of English furniture has made its way over the years.[/img]

[Gill the Piano]

It's an overdamper action and some tuners over there get their knickers in a twist about them; they're actually as easy to tune as an underdamper, but the tuner simply has to put his tuning wedges through the damper wires, before putting them between the hammers into the strings, as usual. Find out if the tuner is a member of the PTG (or its Canadian equivalent), and if not, get one who is, and tell them you have an overdamper (birdcage) action piano you'd like them to give an opinion on;a qualified tuner/technician shouldn't be panicked by an overdamper action. Did the tuner mean you should replace the whole action, or just the dampers? Or was he saying -in code- 'Omigod, I haven't a clue what this is and I'm frightened and I'm going to tell him it can't be tuned and then run away screaming' ?
I reckon a good forty percent of the uprights I tune are overdampers...it really isn't the end of the world...honest!

[JWilliams]

I am also in Newfoundland and experiencing problems with getting my bird cage designed piano tuned. I was woundering if you were able to find anyone to help you, and if so what did you do?