Hello, All I have found this thread very interesting. Caut is a microcosm of PTG. As such the resources to make giant strides are limited, but by taking small steps on many fronts, progress will be made. We all need to be patient. The new Guidelines are another step forward and I’m looking forward to a curriculum, a higher set of standards, and better marketing and communication. I think we have people who will work hard to make these things happen. Wim, read the document below. It may address your question of how long a piano should last. This is a one-page document called “Suggested Ideal Piano Maintenance Program. You may remember an older version. The version below does not include actual costs, but I also have that variation available for students and administrators. Is this the kind of thing you were talking about in earlier e-mails? Richard West, University of Nebraska Suggested Ideal Piano Maintenance Program (Steps to keep an acoustic piano working well throughout its lifetime) by Richard West, RPT, Staff Piano Technician University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE It is impossible to give a precise timetable for piano maintenance and repairs due to the fact that the hours of use, and environmental factors vary from instrument to instrument. If a piano is played more than 3 hours/day, or if the humidity varies by more than 20% over a year’s time, the following timetable should be compressed. The First Year - Tune the piano 3 or 4 times (Many piano dealers provide the first 2 tunings for free). Have a technician tighten the action screws and plate screws, stabilize the strings (tap down the string coils on the tuning pins, and seat strings to bridges), check the regulation and provide some attention to voicing and tone. Install internal humidity control device (Dampp-Chaser unit) to control humidity changes. The Second Year - the piano should be tuned two to four times annually depending on humidity conditions and use. If there is minimal humidity control (as in schools and churches) avoid tuning in August (high humidity) and late January/February (low humidity). Third Year - File hammers, align to strings, check voicing Fourth Year - tuning, voicing Fifth Year - tuning, complete regulation, file hammers, voice Sixth through Fourteenth Years - tune and voice every year, file hammers every other year, regulate every 5 years Fifteenth Year - replace hammers, regulate, tune/voice Sixteenth Year - check regulation, tune/voice Seventeenth Year through Twenty-Fifth Year - tune/voice every year, file hammers every other year, regulate every 5 years. The lifetime of a good vertical pianos is 25 to 50 years depending on construction, use, and conditions in which the piano was kept. Although parts replacement and rebuilding is possible with older verticals, the costs often outweigh the benefits. In fact the cost is equal to or greater than purchasing new After 25 to 35 years all new action parts and strings may be needed. Between 35 and 50 years a grand could need complete rebuilding with a new pinblock, soundboard, action, and refinishing. In theory a grand could last over 100 years depending upon construction and design, use, and conditions in which the piano was kept. Rebuilding is usually limited to well-known, brand-name, high quality instruments. -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .
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