[CITTERN] Re: Preston tuner history

[Gregory Doc Rossi]

Rob, could you get in touch with Martin and ask who it was?

A metal worker I knew in Italy repaired my tuner for me - one of the  
screw heads had broken off and couldn't really be turned with the  
key. It was a pain in my neck for years... He fixed it in a matter of  
minutes.  I had taken it to several watch makers and none of them  
could make heads or tails out of it.  This is why I'm suspicious that  
the only relation to watches is the key.  After all, there are no  
gears, no springs, just screws with nuts in a case.

GDR

On Dec 6, 2007, at 8:26 AM, Rob wrote:

Many years ago, when I got my first guittar with Preston machines,  
Martin
Haycock arranged for a craftsperson at West Dean College of instrument
making to refurbish the mechanism. I don't know who that was, but  
apparently
he knew a lot about the system. He did a first-class job.

Rob

www.rmguitar.info


-----Original Message-----
From: Alexander Batov [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 06 December 2007 01:07
To: cittern list
Subject: [CITTERN] Re: Preston tuner history

On Tuesday, December 04, 2007 6:33 AM Martina Rosenberger wrote:

I have another question.
As you have seen more than one Preston in your work: were there
differences between the brass cases? If they had a "production  
line" look,

I assume none.
Were the threads always the same? Were they in the same condition  
or were
there problems with some of them (rust, oxidation, anything...)
This will not help with the dating, but gives a clue to the way of  
making
them........

Hello Martina,

Well, I wish I paid more attention to such fine features at the  
time. It
never even occurred to me that anybody will be interested in watch  
tuners (I
certainly wasn't) ... but as I've already said Preston's all looked  
pretty
much identical. The Hoffmann's had a rather worn look (both the  
treads and
their square ends too, some almost totally rounded and so could  
only be
turned with a smaller size keys).

Alexander


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