Music Desk Price

[Ned Swift]

Terry

I needed a music desk for a piano that I am working on as it was missing.  I 
found a retired man with a lot of free time and a big wood shop.  I gave him 
the dimensions and he built if for me out of walnut.  He did a beautiful job 
and only charged me $50.00.  Of course, I had to finish it and add the 
hardware but the price was certainly right.  I figure the desk is worth 
about $300 now that it is finished.  FWIW

Ned Swift


>From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
>Reply-To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
>To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Subject: Re: Music Desk Price
>Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 07:38:20 -0500
>
>Well, no one was able to tell me a price for a music desk, so I'll share 
>what I charged. The original one was in good condition (except for the 
>broken ends - grain ran parallel to case sides - weak design) and had been 
>recently refinished in lacquer with a red-mahogany partially-grain-filled 
>non-rubbed-out finish. I cut off the old ends on the band saw, fabricated 
>new end pieces out of solid mahogany (grain running parallel with long axis 
>of desk), bonded them (epoxy man, epoxy!) to the two long pieces (which I 
>stripped down), and stained and sprayed a bunch of coats of lacquer, 
>sanding a couple times between coats. Delivered it last night. Color match 
>was perfect. The fit was perfect (not too loose, and just shy of snug). 
>Lady just about did back flips - "It looks just like new!" and happily 
>wrote me a check for my invoice of $300 and gave me a $20 tip.
>
>So I guess that is the price of a rebuilt music desk - at least $300.
>
>Maybe I should have charged more.
>
>Terry Farrell
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Farrell
>   To: pianotech@ptg.org
>   Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2003 8:14 AM
>   Subject: Music Desk Price
>
>
>   Dear Esteemed List Contributors,
>
>   I'm looking for some opinions on what would be a fair price for a 
>custom-built music desk. It is for a 1920s Baldwin grand. It is a duplicate 
>of the original in mahogany (as was the original) and finished to match the 
>previously refinished (reddish stain, clear lacquer) piano.
>
>   Is there a source for any type of complete music desk? Can one buy a 
>music desk from a manufacturer for a current model piano (a Steinway, a 
>Yamaha or whatever)? I'm thinking a fair price might be the price of a new 
>Yamaha desk plus some percentage (like maybe 50%?) for the custom fit and 
>finish.
>
>   Any opinions?
>
>   Background - for those interested in the sordid details - go for it:
>
>   I have chosen not to charge for my time. I will not do that. This has 
>been the project from he%%, and I brought it on myself. Someone leaned on 
>the end of the music desk and broke the wood at the end-slot. It started 
>out that I would try and glue it back together. After getting it back to my 
>shop and looking more closely I realized that the break would not fit 
>together very well and any glue joint would be obvious - it really needed 
>an epoxy job, but that would get even more ugly looking. I noticed that the 
>other end was cracked also. The wood grain of the original runs parallel 
>with the ends (new ones go parallel with the long axis of the desk). She 
>said she wanted it to look nice - the piano has a nice finish in very good 
>condition. So I suggested that we just replace the ends and refinish to 
>match the original. She agreed, but we did not talk fees (yes, yes, yes, I 
>know, please spare me the lecture!!!). I feel very comfortable charging 
>something beyond the price of a new Yamaha desk (my guess is maybe in the 
>$200 - $300 range - but that's just a wild guess), but I am no cabinet 
>maker, and this project has taken me umpteen unmentionable hours - I can't 
>charge for my time - I feel that if there was a mistake made here, it was 
>my mistake in not knowing how long it would take for me to do this kind of 
>work.
>
>   I have no hesitation charging full fees for a well-defined set of 
>services - I do that all the time. I just charged a guy $2K for applying 
>472 band-aids to an old worn out square grand (only new parts that went on 
>it was a set of damper felts). Was the work musically worth that price? No 
>way. But I accurately and fully described exactly what I would be doing, 
>and what the results would be (and the results were as poor as I 
>predicted). He agreed, and I charged him (and he paid with a smile!). My 
>music desk project lacks that kind of clarity - so that is why I feel the 
>need to pursue a different fee-determination method.
>
>   Terry Farrell

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