[CAUT] unusual repair

[Willem Blees]

Quoting Rick Florence <Rick.Florence at asu.edu>:

> Wim, a few more questions...
> 
> >> 2.  Why not splice the string?
> 
> >I don't "do" splices. Never learned, and at my age, have no
> intension
> >of learning. 
> 
> 
> Maybe you should put that on your business card...
> 
> Willem Blees, RPT
> "I'm too old to learn anything new"
> 
> I don't get it Wim.  I see you every year at the national
> convention/institute.  What do you do there?

You're right, Rick, I should learn. That is why I've agreed to be 
Joel's guinea pig. Perhaps there is some life in this old body yet. To 
be quite honest, there have been very few times when I wish I knew how 
to splice a string. It just has not been one of my priorities to 
learn. 

> 
>  
> >> 3.  Do you not keep a set of strings in your inventory?
> 
> >This is the first time since I've been here that a bass string has
> >broken on a D. Not enough to justify paying for a whole set just to
> >sit around and get old and dead.
> 
> Isn't that a lot like saying, "I haven't had a fire since I moved
> here, so I
> see no need for a local fire station?"

We have 4 D's in the school. One piano is 4 years old, I've replaced 
one set three years ago, and another was rebuilt about 10 years ago. 
The "old" Steinway is 30 years old, with original strings, and the 
only reason one broke is because I replace the tuning pin. If there 
was a constant need, even once a year, to replace one or more strings 
on these pianos, I could see having a replacement set around. It's not 
the same as "I've hadn't needed one for ever...", as we do have a back 
up piano for the concert hall. 

> 
> I agree that older strings lose a "little" of their original quality,
> but
> what are we using them for - replacement in a used set.  They are
> going next
> to old strings.  They will fit in just as well, or better, than a
> new
> string.  I have yet to experience a dead string from our replacement
> sets.

My experience has been that replacement strings that are more than 10 
years old will be too dead to be of any use. Again, I just can't 
justify the expense. If and when I ever do get any money to spend, 
I've got way too many other projects that are much more important. 



>  
> _____________
> Rick Florence
> Senior Piano Technician
> Arizona State University, School of Music
> 


Willem Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
School of Music
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL USA
205-348-1469