Instrument condition

[Bbarasa@aol.com]

>If the guy isn't a piano technician, he has no
>business mucking about in players.

Ron,

Actually, he IS a rebuilder specializing in players ... he just didn't tune
at the time (and doesn't "really" tune now).   He typically takes great care
in doing fine player rebuilds, including some rare instruments (last summer I
was honored to tune a collectors item he helped rebuild -- an art-carved
Mason & Hamlin, one of only three that were  made), but depending on his
fluctuating financial pressures, he sometimes will agree to "just get it
working" if it's an old upright and the owners are obviously not going to pay
for a rebuild.  I didn't mean to  imply that I had any negative feelings
towards him, since I've known him for a long time and used to do a lot of
work for him reshaping hammers and such.

I have an old player upright, and if I ever get a couple thousand dollars, he
is the only one I would entrust it to for rebuilding.

You can R&R (rant and rave) as much as you want.  I've seen lots of botched
jobs, both players and non.  The first time I tuned at the Rialto Theater, I
looked at the Steinway D in total disbelief.  The year before they had payed
the previous "technician" (a female, alas -- or: a lass, alas) to restring
it.  A 12 year old kid with some simple instructions could have probably done
a better job.  The windings went on top of each other, not one of the pins
had three windings, some ran across the plate, some weren't pounded in all
the way ... !!  I told the technical director he should demand his money
back, but the "technician" had left the state. He couldn't get the money to
have it redone, so that's how it stayed.  But every time I looked at it I got
angry.

Barb B.
Sycamore IL