Broadwood Grand

[Richard Brekne]

Ron Nossaman wrote:

>
>
> Well, perhaps I'm just a heathen, but I don't think there is all that much
> of an ethical side to the process, any more than in Team Toyota's entry in
> the Baja not remotely resembling anything the customer can purchase in the
> showroom. In the case of the piano, it's being done with the customer's
> blessing, and the hope of improving performance over what the "stock"
> hardware capable of, so I really don't see a problem. Then again, it seems
> like a shame to see the piano manufacturer get the credit for the  higher
> performance level if the tech produces a better piano redesigned and
> remanufactured, than it originally was. Where does ethics come down on that
> issue?
>

Actually, I would (from an ethics point of view) have no problem per se' with this
kind of re-designing of an old piano. But I know many who do. There are guys and
gals out there who believe that replaceing anything that is not absolutely
neccesarry simply ruins the instrument. They place a particular emphasis on the
historic value of such instruments. I can understand this.. but then on the other
hand we do have a lot of museums around already.  grin...

>
> Limiting factors would be the rim construction (material, method), shape and
> solidity, plate configuration (as you mentioned, including scale breaks,
> thickness, hitch pin placement, and such), dimensions of the action cavity
> in case you had to re engineer the action from something weird to something
> more standard, The customer's (remarkable) faith in your ability to do the
> job, your own (hopefully realistic) faith in your ability to do the job, and
> enough of the customer's money to do the job. Not necessarily in that order.
> Oh yes, the technician's lack of good judgement, or attention to detail, in
> accepting, planning, and pricing a job like this can make the rest of the
> process even more interesting.
>
> It wasn't my intention to imply that this couldn't, generally, be done.
> Del's been doing this very thing for some time, and I've gotten into it in
> the last couple of years. Yes, it is quite possible to build an entirely
> new, and sometimes dramatically better, piano in an existing carcass. It's
> also WAY more fun than normal restorative rebuilding, but a bit more
> stressful too. My comments about the Broadwood meant just what I said.
> Restringing it won't make it into a modern piano, no matter what the
> customer wishes. Trying to remanufacture it into a modern piano would, like
> Dale indicated, probably be more trouble, and cost more money, than it is
> worth for what you would get out of it. Not everything is a good candidate
> for this kind of work. Too often, we discover these things the hard way.
>
>  Ron N

Thanks for your thoughts. Might be fun to try this someday.. when (if ever) I get
that far along.. grin.

Richard Brekne
I.C.P.T.G.  N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway