On 4/19/97, jptuner <jptuner@asan.com> wrote: <<I want tochange the hammers,shanks,and butts,I noticed that the butts were borderline and so i decided to tell her to change them with the new hammers.Itold her it would cost about close to $2,000 dollars to put new abelhammers,shanks and butts,plus the regulation.Does anyone know if thisprice is about right for this job,>> jptuner: (BTW, if you'd like to share your real name with us, we won't tell anyone what it is <g>). I know I'm coming in late on this thread, but I recently finished all new parts on a Model V from 1914. Parts w/o mark-up: around $1660, AND LABOR @ 33.75 hours NET TIME. Total contracted price, roughly $3900. But that's butts/doubleflanges/damplevs/wips from Brooks, hamms/LOButtons/damperfeltset from Steinway (current model K). Labor included new keyframe felts, new felts/leathers for bottom board/trapwork assy, keybd rebushed, all action frame felts replaced (rest rail, all pivot bushings, everything I could find to replace), and every corner of the action frame, keybed, and "ground floor" cleaned out (with the action frame tubes shined). In short a Blue Ribbon action job. In a year or two, he'll consider a restring for 40% of that. What you had originally proposed (old butts and damplevs off, load new butts/dblflanges with old damplevs, shank new hams, set strike line, install shanks ®) I figure to be roughly 12.5 hrs. NET TIME. But that's coming off my time figures from my own job costing (from NT figures on one upright and four High School studio uprights). On 4/21/97, jptuner <jptuner@asan.com> wrote: <<Thank you all for your posts on my 1907 steinway.I knowwhat to do now but how do I now convince them that after I told them$2,000 that they now have to change the damper levers and possiblewhippens running close to $4,000 thats not going to go over to well.>> Don't be shy. Tell them your part of an internet discussion group of highly experienced piano technicians, and those responding have said that given the age and decrepitude, anything less than comprehehsive, reincarnatory work will leave either/and them, their piano and/or you unhappy. Three of us responding (Newton, Sam, et moi) have first hand experience. Tell her she's much happier finding out now before anybody's stuck their foot in this trap. Certainly go back for another look-see. And before that, buy single samples of the parts from PianoTek (Wally doesn't sell singles, and I barely got 88 in my sets), so that when at the piano, you can verify the match (or otherwise plan accordingly). Also with the parts in hand, you ca contrast the sparkling new ones with the greasy rat-knawed oldy moldies. Remember Wally's advice, "Don't make the piano owner's problem your problem". It's not your problemthat their Steinway K at 90 years is dead on its feet. On 4/21/97, Newton Hunt <nhunt@jagat.com> wrote: <<I suggest getting the partsfrom Brooks, Ltd. They have all the action parts for old S&Ss.>> I agree. I don't know whether PianoTek's Tokiwa's are of the standard asian swamp maple, but Wally's had to have been of HornBeam (and he swore they were Tokiwa). I've mislaid (or possibly even not downloaded) the post in which someone suggested that a more cost effective fix was Steinway's new K action. NOT. In the middle of my job, I talked with someone at Steinway's restoration center who said that there was enough re-engineering in the revived model K, that the current action as they are produced for Steinway by Renner would be unuseable in the vintage Ks. (He didn't elaborate, but I'm assuming that scale sticks, key leverages, and keybed/StPoint heights would have changed.) BTW, I found out something interesting when I asked Glori LeFrak why my box of K dampers didn't include damper blocks or over damper wires. These are part of the complete K action which arrives from Renner in shipments specifically alloted for NY's production of Ks. Anything you order would have to be specially shipped (with special charges and and tariffs). Above all, your customer should know the preice of the new K. ($17K by now?) Bill Ballard RPT NH Chapter "Lady, this piano is what it is, I am what I am, and you are what you are" From a recurring nightmare.
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