[CAUT] Missing Key

[Ron Nossaman]

Jim Busby wrote:
> Ditto John.
> 
> My brother bought a grand with a missing key. He brought
> the adjacent keys to me to see what I could do... I didn't
> have any sugar pine, but thought I'd make one (SUPPOSED to
> be temporary, until I could get the right wood!) out of a
> seasoned 2X4. I selected a piece with the right grain,
> straight, etc. Well....... That was 2 years ago and no one
> can tell which key it was by just playing. I'm NOT
> advocating this (2X4!), but it just seemed funny to me. My
> brother is a good player and laughs that I had him a new
> key in less than an hour. He refuses to let me re-do it.
> Go figure.


Hi Jim,
If it worked adequately, what's the problem? The hard maple I 
make new bridges from looks, acts, and by all evidence I can 
detect is as good as anything I could buy new at twenty times 
the price. You can't tell either looking or listening that it 
served some time between the forest and the bridge as tongue 
and groove flooring. Salvaged good wood is still good wood. 
And the best part of making the key yourself is that you 
probably learned something in the process that you otherwise 
wouldn't have if you had just sent the necessary stuff to 
someone else to have it made.

Ron N