[pianotech] Bechstein Cracked Plate and Pin Block

[William Truitt]

I am not sure what you are saying here, Ron.  If you are referring to my
next Bechstein rebuilding project, there are no cracks in the plate.  I have
done a couple of Bechstein rebuilds in the past (although it has been a good
while since the last one), and not had problems with cracked plates before,
during, or after the rebuild.  That being said, some Bechstein plates do
crack, and most typically in that area, given the evidence elsewhere (and a
Journal article, if memory serves me).  I think it is a piano by piano
judgment, also to be measured by one's skill set and comfort zone for
tackling projects like this, as well as access to someone highly skilled at
plate repair.  Whatever the rebuilder chooses, he or she doesn't want to do
the kind of work that will blow up in their face.  We've all had somebody
else's band-aid work in our shop to do what really needs to be done on an
unhappy customer's second (or in this case, potentially third) batch of
money.  But Jon is trying to avoid being a fool jumping in where angels fear
to tread, he wants to make a measured judgment, and is enlisting the advice
of others on the list before he makes a decision to proceed or not, and what
is the best path to take.  

So is the Wopper referring only to Jon's Bechstein, or all Bechsteins?  And
" Wouldn't the thing to do be following the current physicians' credo to not
come within a mile of anything that's not on the malpractice insurance
approved list of absolutely safe and maximally profitable procedures, and
charge whatever it's possible to get away with to duck anything else?" - I
am unclear as to what you are really trying to say here.  It comes across as
if you are casting an aspersion, but I do not know who it is supposed to be
landing on.  

Will

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ron Nossaman
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 11:27 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Bechstein Cracked Plate and Pin Block

William Truitt wrote:

> The plate cracks are where Bechstein plates usually crack.  

Isn't this the "it's supposed to smoke like that" general 
purpose conversation stopper? "Usually" crack? Wouldn't the 
thing to do be following the current physicians' credo to not 
come within a mile of anything that's not on the malpractice 
insurance approved list of absolutely safe and maximally 
profitable procedures, and charge whatever it's possible to 
get away with to duck anything else?

Quoth the Wopper, the only way to win is not to play the game, 
at least in this case.

Ron N