I have a unique opportunity coming up in the next week. I have a church account that has two fairly new (1993) uprights where the manufacturer is now out of business but is still honoring warranty service. The soundboards in both pianos are in grave condition. splits at many joints all the way through. One of them has a section that is concaved (warped) at the lower section of the treble bridge. Also many rib joints are loose. The maker has the the back assemblies (skeleton, soundboard, plate, pinblock, already strung, waiting for cases to be put on them (they were never completed.) It doesn't sound all that involved. Just cut the old back away from the case on both sides and glue the new back in place. I am curious as to what type of saw I am going to need (an industrial powered sabre saw with a 6" blade sounds logical to me) and what type of glue should be used for gluing the new back to the existing case sides. The new backs will be shipped as soon as the manufacturer locates them. I'm guessing within the next week or so. I was able to tour the Charles Walter factory last November with the Cleveland PTG Chapter. It gave me a completely different view of all pianos seeing how they are put together to make a musical instrument. Seeing how they start with the backframe then add the soundboard, then the plate and pinblock, then strung, chipped to pitch (or close to it), then the case is added, etc. I feel this will be a great learning experience for me. I will have tech support from the manufacturer, but if anyone has any insight or experience on this, please share. I think that as this project does progress, I may feel inclined to share my experience with everyone. This just does't happen everyday (to me, anyways). Mike Masters Masters Piano Service Lakewood, OH
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC