[pianotech] Lester Spinet

[Susan Kline]

It may not be that bad.

First, some Lester spinets had wooden parts, before they made the 
mistake with the plastic. Actually, as spinets go, those old Lesters 
aren't half bad.

Second, most of the elbows started turning to fragments so long ago 
that many pianos have had all of them replaced already.

Third, if you have a handful of the Vagias elbows in your kit or 
pocket when you arrive, you can fix a few as needed, if the owner 
doesn't want to spend to get them all done. I usually leave a few 
spares for someone like that.

But they may have been done long since. Once in awhile one of the new 
ones goes bad.

Don't overturn the wire in the elbow - it can sort of crack the 
bottom. Luckily you can look through the elbows and see where the end 
of the wire is. A small pair of vise grips to grab the wire helps a lot.

Check the bushing cloth trimming on the replacement elbows when you 
get them. You should definitely have a set in your parts stash. Some 
of them seem to have been trimmed by a squirrel with toothache. A 
very sharp single-edged razor blade is often in order. Watch out for 
plastic flanges, backchecks, jacks, and damper levers, though, and 
treat them with respect. They can be a true pain. A piano like that 
really needs to have all that stuff replaced. I've done it ... I 
thought I was charging enough. One never does, though.

Susan Kline

At 10:57 PM 7/13/2010, you wrote:
>Thanks, Ron.
>
>I always strive to keep my integrity intact and tell my clients what 
>I see. I appreciate being reminded of that.  Thank you...
>
>The reason I had written initially is that I recall hearing the name 
>"Lester" in somewhat disparaging terms over the last year or so that 
>I've been on this list.  Recalling nothing specific, I posted my 
>initial post tonight. I always like to do some research when I 
>approach a piano I haven't worked on before, which in this stage of 
>my career is pretty much every time!
>
>Now that I know the plastic elbows are on this piano along with some 
>other plastic parts as well, I feel that I'll be more aware and 
>prepared to deal with whatever I find in a more professional manner 
>than if I'd stumbled across something or broken an elbow, etc. Maybe 
>I get it from my flying background, but I always like to have a plan 
>B and a plan C, ad nauseum, before going into a situation. :-)
>
>I'll know more by midday!
>
>Thanks,
>
>Rob McCall