[Alan Brinton]

PIANICA 36 UPDATE:

Today, working on the older Pianica 36 (rather than the later P-36) I figured out how to further disassemble to get access to the reeds, which after all did not require breaking a seal.

I don’t know why I didn’t notice the clips before. Once they are removed, the reed chamber cover can be peeled off without damaging the gasket.

I was hoping, though not expecting, to find individual reeds as in the Clavietta and Hohner Professional. There are four reed plates, two short ones at the bottom end and two longer ones on the top. There is significant discoloration, but the reeds are in good condition and show little sign of post-factory tuning.

I checked the tuning and was surprised to find that, measuring at A=442, the tuning was actually not bad — this is a later 1960s model that does not appear to have been tuned by a previous owner — so we’re talking about tuning done 45+ years ago. Key action and tone were uneven, with a few edgier sounding notes. By gapping one of those notes and adjusting key action with the small screws at the base of each key, I was able to significantly improve both action and evenness of tone. I don’t understand why adjusting the key action should affect tone, but it does. More can be done, I’m sure. I will be tuning and making further adjustments tomorrow. I don’t know how well this will show up, but here’s the tuning in +/- cents:

Weight comparison:

Hohner Piano 36 – 861 grams
Yamaha Pianica 36 – 943 grams
Hohner Professional – 1246 grams