Terry
Read your post carefully as well as Ron Ns and still had some
questions and reservation. I was also a little unclear as to the flat spots
location. Was it located right under the bridge where the least amount of
bearing was measured? Further in spite of perceived falsness in strings
what does the overall tone of the piano sound like and does the spot with
least bearing have weak notes or shorter sustain.
How those questions are answerred would give a little clearer idea of
the true need for a sndboard transplant. The use of several styles of
gauges are useful in order to accurately determine the measurable bearing in
the strung piano especially one with so many ???? The rocker,bubble gauge
and also using a thread fished thru or along side the agraffe and(might need
to remove a damper)over the bridge can sometimes be the most revealing and
each gauge serves to clarify.
If this were me I would state my opinion to the client as best as I
could determine them and perhaps reserve the final judgement as to its
replacing the board upon teardown and subsequent remeasuring of the crown
and bearing with a bearing /crown string. This is often S.O.P. here .
What if the flat spot disappears upon string removal? Or what if the
bearing was originally set in a none uniform way? I don't know, I'm not
there to experience all the variables as you are but these are some of the
things going thru my mind after I read the posts. That being said I don't
want to enter into this kind a rebuilding contract with my hands tied to an
old board with obvious question marks. Do you know what I mean? I want the
freedom to succeed.
I hope all would take a lesson from your thoroughness as I have made
mistakes in the past by not being so and regretted it.(In Oh So Many Ways)
Dale Erwin
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