new one reply

[pianoman]

I just called back my client with this problem.  I told him we were all
curious as to what his exterminator says.  He hasn't called one yet.
Why am I always more excited to get to the problems'  answer than the
person who  own the problem?
James Grebe
R.P.T. from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
"I am only as good as my last tuning"

----------
> From: Lance Lafargue <lafargue@iAmerica.net>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: new one
> Date: Friday, December 19, 1997 7:23 AM
> 
> James,
> You're only as good as your last estimate, and it sounds like it was a
good
> one.  Man!  Sounds scary.  I wouldn't think that piano wood (HA!) hold a
> tuning for long.  I wood be curious who tuned it last and if it is likely
> that they tuned it to 440, or the low pitch is due to their cutting
corners
> five years ago.  If the back is separated, it is likely the bugs. It
sounds
> like this wood be an excellent opportunity to experiment with that "Wood
> Restorer" product.  
> Lance Lafargue, RPT
> New Orleans Chapter
> Covington, LA.
> lafargue@iamerica.net
> 
> ----------
> > From: pianoman <pianoman@inlink.com>
> > To: pianotech@ptg.org
> > Subject: new one
> > Date: Thursday, December 18, 1997 5:21 PM
> > 
> > Today I ran across something I have never seen before.  This fellow
> called
> > me up for a tuning appointment for his Baldwin console.  It had been
> about
> > 5 years since last tuned and he said he thought he had a bug problem as
> > something had eaten through the protective felt covering over the
> pinblock.
> > When I got there this morning and opened the lid, WOW.  There was one
> place
> > about 4 inches in diameter eaten through down into the wood in back of
> the
> > pinblock and directly above that into the bottom surface of the lid.  I
> > told him that the felt covering should be removed so we could see the
> > extent of the damage.  He tore it off and all along the top were gaping
> > holes and the space between the back post ends were hollow from being
> eaten
> > away.  In addition, I guess because the filler block had been eaten
away
> > the pinblock was separated from the back about 1/8" or so .  The
dampers
> > were not raising from the strings properly and the pitch was over -120c
> > flat in the middle and worse towards the treble end.  I told him that
the
> > normal fix was to pull the front to the back with clamps and put in lag
> > screws gluing everything back together but the problem was that there
is
> > nothing to glue the pinblock back to.  Strangely enough there was no
> other
> > damage over the rest of the piano inside or out.  I don't know enough
> about
> > termites but it would seem that they would be damaging something else
> close
> > by.  He said the piano had been in the same place for over 10 years.  I
> > advised that he call an exterminator to check out the damage and to see
> if
> > he could recognize the perpetrator.  The eaten away part was a drab
gray
> > flaky color.  I advised also to check with his insurance to see if he
had
> > any coverage due to insect damage and wrote on his receipt that I
thought
> > the piano was a total loss and see if that would get him anywhere. 
> > Remember this is not in the tropics where this may be common, it is the
> St.
> > Louis suburbs not far from where I live.
> > 	Do you think I gave the right advice?
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > James Grebe
> > R.P.T. from St. Louis
> > pianoman@inlink.com
> > "I am only as good as my last tuning"