Sam Thompson's "Rebirth Of a 9-1/2' Steinway Reproducer", Part 1

Prologue by Jim Miller

The following article appeared upon the estimable pages of the
AMICA News Bulletin for the month of November of 1971.  I thought
that the MMD readership might find it interesting, perhaps, and also
as initiating progenitor of the entire happening per se, to allow to
myself an opportunity to do a bit of filling-in with some missing,
complementary detail.  (Sam's article itself is just bristling with it,
technically.)

Until just today I'd not even read this piece!  My tenure as an actual,
official dues-paying AMICAn was one short, it's having been from only
two years before this present saga, and once again a bit later afterward,
also for an equally short while, so, I'd just missed it on account of
not receiving bulletins.  For the story of the discovery of this former
Steinway Duo-Art "DR" I now supply some prefatory items...

At the San Bernardino California Theater, way back in 1964, my
then-employer Darrell Fandrich and I were present to tune for that
evening's concert, this at the direction of Fred Steppan, owner of
"Steppan Baldwin Piano Co."

Their concert association used this venue for their programmed events.
It was appropriate as it was roomy, had good acoustics, and was well
preserved from it's previous hey-day as a first-class movie house.
(As a bonus plus I might add that it was complete with a nifty and
Mighty three-manual Wurlitzer unit orchestra!)

As it happened there was to be a concerto on that evening's program
and, of course, a pianist was needed for it and so the reason for our
tuning call.  We arrived and set-up for it (I was at that time an
apprentice just then learning everything) when we heard a number of
individuals approaching the stage from the audience area, who then
climbed up onto the stage.

Along with some others accompanying him, and much to my astonishment,
it was pianist Leonard Pennario himself!  He was to play, and had come
check the piano as to suitability.

Being but only a simple straw-sucking provincial, I'd never before
been anywhere near a celebrity and so, likely displayed starry-eyes.
Pennario obviously detected this, and seemed pleased that he was
recognized sans announcement.  (I'd addressed him as "Mr. Pennario"
which scored points.)  His general demeanor was that of aloofness and
dignity, which impressed me.

He examined his instrument and commented that it seemed somehow larger
than normal.  Knowing absolutely nothing then, being only 19 years of
age, I said not a word nor did boss Darrell.  (He may have been
star-struck silent too.)  The celebrated master sat down, tested the
keys with some chords and arpeggio passage things, and remarked that
they felt different, but ... that the sound was good and that all would
be well for the coming evening's artsy endeavor.

At that time I knew nothing of Steinway's straight or reproducer but
I did perceive that there was suspicious space existing between the
pin block and the fall board which was out-of-the-ordinary, and so
concluding naturally that it must have been at one time a player of
some sort, guessing wildly 'Ampico' -- the only reproducing piano brand
name I'd ever heard.  Of this peculiarity of excess I took mental-note,
for what future reason I then knew-not but (as The Fates do arrange for
us unknowingly, and constantly) that I was to later learn-of.

Pennario & Co. left the stage, Darrell tuned, I watched, and he
commented that there were indeed extra lengths present to the keys,
and so a special die for the future had been thus cast.

The dramatis personae that were and were to be part of what unfolded
are mostly living-still, although most sadly Steppan, Pennario and Mel
Shores have all since passed-on.  As recently as about three years ago,
I spoke with Sam Thompson and he assured me at that time that his
instrument was well and was playing-still and that he was in good
health and spirits.

At this point Sam's fascinating story can now begin.

Jim Miller
Las Vegas, Nevada

 - - -

Rebirth Of a 9-1/2' Steinway Reproducer
by the owner, Sam Thompson

While Dave Saul was heading the "Instruments" section he asked me if
I would write an article with considerable detail about my piano.  At
that time the piano, a 1920 Steinway stripped and disguised former
Duo-Art, was in the process of being rebuilt.  I agreed to do so upon
its successful completion.

It has now been a little over two long years that I have had the piano.
It all began one evening when I was visiting Mel Shores in his home in
another part of Los Angeles.  Our conversation had drifted to large
pianos, probably due to Mel's Welte Vorsetzer and 9' Sohmer, which we
were playing.

Mel related how Jim Miller had mentioned seeing a 9' Steinway Ampico
some time ago in the California Theater in San Bernardino.  I was
intrigued although the thought of acquiring it hadn't formed at that
point.  I went to Mel's phone and called Jim; I had to satisfy my
curiosity.

As I recall, Jim verified that he had seen the big Steinway.  It was
then being used by some concert association for concerts and he thought
that it was an Ampico.  Now my curiosity was really aroused.  Jim had
been able to tell me who maintained the piano so I began by calling
him.  Shades of Liberace, if the owner wasn't the Steppan Baldwin
agency in San Bernardino.  I talked with Mr. Steppan, the proprietor,
who related that the piano was on a lease-option to a college student,
but the student couldn't afford to buy it.

I drove to San Bernardino, examined the large instrument, which filled
the student's small apartment, and as the price was reasonable, bought
it.  Now I had to sell my Fischer grand to help pay for the Steinway.
I really hated to, as it had been rebuilt only years previously by Mel
and had performed the whole time to my great pleasure.  It was a clean,
one owner piano (sounds like a car ad), and my first reproducer.

I placed an ad in the paper I work for as photo-engraver cameraman,
the Los Angeles Times, and sold it the third week.  Incidentally,
a woman in the first week wanted it but didn't show up again until
after the third week, and by that time I had sold it to John Ruccioni.
At that time, John was attempting to buy his deceased father's house,
but complications with other named beneficiaries in the family prevented
him from taking possession.  So I "stored" the Fischer in my living
room for six months or so.

As I already had a good sized collection of Ampico rolls, and as
I wanted to own but one piano, it seemed logical to rebuild the piano
to play the Ampico system.  Contrary to earlier information, the piano
was originally a Duo-Art.

Mel was swamped rebuilding reproducers at this time, so mine had to
wait.  After a while I began bringing Ampico and Duo-Art parts which
Mel had gathered to the shop, and under his guidance, rebuilt them.
Little had I comprehended the vastness and complexities of this
undertaking.  My knowledge of the mechanics of a reproducing piano
could be put in a thimble.  The complexities also scared me so that
I feared I would do things wrong and be unhappy with the results.

At about this time Clare Spencer, also working at Dick Carty's, entered
the picture.  Clare's life revolves around reproducing pianos.  He is
musically very sensitive, plays, and possesses that artistic temperament.
He is a true perfectionist who will spend hours and hours on some small
item, insignificant to others, just so that it is perfect.  Without
doubt he is the slowest, most meticulous, experienced reproducer
rebuilder in Los Angeles, but his pianos play to perfection when he is
finished with them.

Clare saw the big Steinway and saw a challenge before him; he owns
a marvelous Steinway "0R" himself and probably felt a bit closer
because of this.  As he later said, he wanted to see it done right and
play well.  You can see from this that his life centers around pianos.

Just over a year ago Clare decided that he would rebuild the stack.
We had a stack Mel had acquired from another 1920 Steinway, but it was
not wide enough.  We also tried two or three other Duo-Art stacks, but
none were as wide as the original had been.  The Steinway stack with
the relocation of several pneumatics would do the job.  This wasn't
a simple task, especially with Clare's attention to detail, but it was
surmounted.

Fortunately, thanks to an earlier Bulletin article, we had contacted
the owner of a sister piano, AMICA member Kay Harmed, Jr., in Illinois.
From Kay we received wonderful cooperation with needed information,
such as the size of the stack pneumatics and the number and scale of
each size.

While on the subject of the stack I must mention what Clare gleefully
refers to as the "tom toms."  To solve the problem of valve seating,
Clare punches a very thin circular shaped piece of leather and covers
the valve with it.  To do so, only the sides of the valve receive a
coating of glue.

The leather punching is positioned on the face of the valve and a
circular punch, just larger than the face of the valve, is used to
press the leather snugly against the valve's sides as the punch moves
down the sides.  The result is a free-floating piece of leather
covering the valve head yet glued to its side.  This makes the valve's
seating insensitive to position and solves that frequent shortcoming.

The stack is easily and precisely positioned by the use of registration
pins attached to the piano body, which protrude through perfectly
matching holes in the stack's end plates.  Thus it is an easy matter to
remove and replace the stack exactly as it has been, and this has been
done many times making adjustments.

It was decided to utilize the above-key spool box and front controls
to retain the original appearance.  We used the older Duo-Art spool box
with the white tempo indicator.  The spool box was reworked to accept
the Ampico tracker bar with its "ears" still functional.  From left to
right the front controls are as follows: three position loudness
control, brilliant-medium-subdued.  Bass-treble accent controls.  The
nostalgic "doorknob's" lateral motion controls Tempo, Rewind, silent
forward, advance-play, and lastly, motor.  The spool box controls are:
sustaining pedal on/off, Ampico on/off, and repeat.

(To be continued.)

 [ "Rebirth Of a 9-1/2' Steinway Reproducer," by Sam Thompson, published
 [ in The AMICA Bulletin, Vol. 8, No. 11, November 1971, is re-published
 [ here with the kind permission of AMICA and The AMICA Bulletin.
 [ -- Robbie