>Anne, >It is not my intention to discourage discussion on this, or any other, >topic. Far from being bored, I would say that the decision to adjust, >repair, rebuild, or junk is perhaps the most important one we're all >faced with on a daily basis. Was I referring to you? No, not really. I think I was just caught in a rare overstressed mood. Too busy with too many worries. I admit I get frustrated with the pitch 'em disposable attitude about so many things in our society, pianos to houses--buy new, dump the old. > >I'm sure you're aware that the NY piano fire is a true story. Yes, but it was as much a marketing ploy. There is always a lot of junk being produced too, as one can easily see by visiting the typical piano shop today. Eighty >years later, many WW II spinets and seventy-year-old uprights would >indeed be candidates for another fire. Some of those seventy year old uprights become incredible pianos with a little care, even the lesser quality ones are often of far better construction and design than some of the new junk. Some are outstanding. In any age there is junk and there are gems. The pocketbook of the owner determines whether they can drop $50,000 plus on a new Bosie (played some honeys over at Steve Cunningham's in Leesburg Saturday--hi Steve!), or whether they have only a few thousand $$s and four feet of wall space. As always it depends upon the original quality and the environmental history of the instrument. If you can afford to stay in >business working on old instruments, more power to you. How you determine which ones to work on and which to condemn are a part of your >work that I and others on this list might find interesting. > >Carl Well Carl, I have quite a waiting list, building and restoring harpsichords, fortepianos, and "interesting" pianos which the others turn down. I turn down a lot of pianos after assessing because others can do most pianos, and my shop space and time are limited, and sometimes because they are unwilling to have a proper job done. The first rule of acceptance is I refuse to work on any pianos built after WWI. ; ) Making decisions to restore/repair is not something to rush, and of course, it depends upon the buyer's predilections and pocketbook. First is research to determine what the instrument is, second is a thorough analysis of condition, structure, materials, etc. What more can one say? Review construction, review of work to be done. It's not so different from what you all do, except for expanding the definitions, and being willing to work with unfamiliar designs, do some research, and handcraft replacement parts. Oh yes, and one needs a different definition of throughput. Anne So, perhaps I would have spared myself some time by just posting my reply, hm? Anne Beetem Harpsichords & Historic Pianos 2070 Bingham Ct. Reston, VA 20191 abeetem@wizard.net
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