Friends, Was I right in condemning this piano? Read on if interested. Yesterday I went to service an old upright piano. It was a Blasius serial number 11613, which according to Pierce was made about 1891. The music deak appears to be hand-carved, rather exquisitely. Someone told the owner that the piano cost more than a house when it was new. The piano has been neglected for decades. Although it was only up to 40 cents flat, it was missing some strings, the sustain functioned poorly, as well as some dampers felts being missing, and the replaced bridle straps are also tearing. There was a lot of wear. I condemned the piano, because these were folks of limited means, and there was the chance that it would just take more and more money to keep it going. Never reconditioned in any way that I could tell. The case looked pretty good yet. I told her not to discard those carvings. If they get rid of the piano and don't want to keep the carvings they should give me a call. I probably always second-guess myself when condemning a piano, something I rarely do. It *could* be rehabilitated to some degree. What is your opinion on this one? I wanted to check with you to find out if it is something special. Regards, Clyde Hollinger, RPT
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