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I just completed an overhaul on a beautiful and well maintained King Super 20 for a customer who wanted Chocolate Roo Extreme pads installed (which could be the topic for another thread). As I worked on this beautiful instrument, the workmanship and ingenuity in design that went into this "American classic" really made me appreciate the craftsmen of that era. I am going to list the features that impressed me the most.
- soldered on toneholes so stable that they required almost no leveling to be perfectly flat
- brass keys with steel hinge tubes much less susceptible to bending and wear (but a real pain to swedge)
- headless pointed pivot screws each with its own lock nut for perfect key adjustment and screws that don't come loose
- the large number of keys mounted on pivot screws rather than hinge rods reduces problems with bent mechanisms
- high quality blued steel springs as strong and efficient as the day they were installed at the factory
- a small steel pin in the tracks for flat springs to ride upon so they do not wear into the brass
- the small flat spring on the underside of the palm F to remove lost motion in the front F mechanism---genius
- the silver neck and bell need a mention, not for practicality, but for the beautiful cosmetics they provide
- the evenness of the scale and the excellent intonation from top to bottom
- the bell keys, low C and Eb stopped at their open position by a "foot" with quieting material instead of a key felt above
- the low C key is equipped with a "double arm" for stability---possibly one of the first brands to have this feature