Pinblock

[Les Smith]

On Mon, 20 Oct 1997 jpiesik@arinc.com wrote:

>      Dear Friends,
>      
>      A church I tune for purchased a Schafer and Sons, 1985, G-3A Grand, 
>      #811097 back in 1994. They paid a LA dealer $3000 for it. They bought 
>      it in a hurry, and did not have it evaluated before purchasing it.
>      
>      Among many minor problems, the piano has a bad pinblock (major prob). 
>      The piano is now at the point where it won't hold a tune. Several 
>      tuning pins will not hold tension. The pinblock is not cracked, 
>      visibly. (I've warned them that this would eventually become a 
>      problem, and now it has.)
>      
>      It's in a relatively dry climate - would a D-C system solve this prob?
>      
>      They would obviously like to get some more use out of this piano. 
>      There is only 2-3mm of clearance between the bottom of the string 
>      coils and the top of the plate - not much room to drive.
>      
>      Should I dope this pinblock? How about CA thin? Replacing all tuning 
>      pins/restringing is too expensive for them. They've contacted the 
>      dealer, but I don't know what the dealer would (or should) be willing 
>      to do about this.
>      
>      It's got a fairly decent, mellow tone, though, it's just too bad about 
>      the pinblock.
>      
>      Any comments are much appreciated!
>      
>      John Piesik, RPT

I guess it was only a matter of time before a manufacturer discovered
the ease with which balsa wood can be drilled and pinned. 12 years for
a pinblock is pitiful, even if the piano's in the Sahara Desert. If
the coils are only 2mm from the plate, it sounds like someone's ALREADY
tried setting them deeper into the block. 1mm isn't going to buy you much
extra holding power. While CA glue may very well be the way to go with
the majority of pins, the ones that won't hold any tension at all are
a major concern. It may very well be that there are problems with the
block that you can't see. In which case, even the CA glue might not
help. Further, trying to use an over-size pin in those places might only
make things worse. In cases where damage to the block itself is suspected,
some techs have reported success with removing the pin, swabbing the
hole with 5 minute epoxy and then reinserting the pin. The philosophy
being that the epoxy will fill any gaps in the block itself. 

In terms of using a traditional pinblock restorer like Garfields, I
believe that it was Keith McGavern who once reported success with a
REALLY BAD pinblock by giving it FIVE consecutive treatments! Ten
years later the block was still holding. 

Whatever approach you choose, you should make the church aware that it
is only a band aid solution that will buy them a little time to either
save up the money to do the job right and have the block replaced (may-
be a special fund drive to "save the piano") or to unload that piece
of junk and get a decent instrument. In the end, finding yourself in
situations where you are forced to resort to half-way measures to try to
save pianos which probably aren't worth saving in the first place will do
little to enhance your reputation or self-esteem. Further, if serious
pinblock problems are already present after only 12 years, can other
problems with areas such as the soundboard, bridges and action be far 
away? I don't think so. Here's one vote for unloading that piano asap.    
I think I'd explain it to the church this way: "Your piano doesn't    
have a prayer!"

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net