Old uprights worth saving?

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Dierauf" <mark@nhpianos.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2004 9:25 AM
Subject: RE: Old uprights worth saving?


>> . . . . . .
>   I used to wonder if it would be possible, or rather profitable, to pop
> the sides and other case parts off these once wonderful instruments,
> refinish them and glue them onto new backs, saving only the  . . . . . .>>

    Anything's possible.  Profitable is indeed the question.  If it weren't
so difficult to get the pinblock and old soundboard out, I'm sure we'd be
restoring all of 'em (except the really junky Kloman & Nords)!  Andre Bolduc
demonstrated a method of removing an upright pinblock, and it's not trivial
and requires somewhat expensive tools/jigs, not to mention the time,
compared to a grand.
    I'm always a little sad when I have to tell customers their old box
isn't worth restoring.  There's the occasional exception, but I'm extremely
wary now of dumping more than $300 or so (if that) of reconditioning work
into an old
upright, unless the board, bridges, pinblock, tone, and sustain are already
quite good.
 --David Nereson, RPT