[pianotech] Lester Console, was Lester Spinet

[Ryan Sowers]

Sounds like your really {"paying your dues" Rob!!

On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 3:53 PM, Rob McCall <rob at mccallpiano.com> wrote:

> Thanks to everyone who replied to my message. The insight I've gleaned from
> this conversation will come in handy someday.  Unfortunately, it wasn't
> today!  :-)
>
> I arrived at the appointment and was led to a Lester piano.  But it was
> taller...  Turned out to be a console from 1946.  Had the cutout ends off
> the back of the keys and a very compact action.  It did have some plastic
> parts in an unbroken state, including the backchecks and the back end of the
> wippen, which had a capstan screw drilled through and inserted through the
> plastic and facing downward on to the back end of the key.
>
> The problems were many, including: several loose hammer flanges, bass
> dampers that wouldn't dampen and would only raise with the key but not with
> the pedal (above the break was fine), numerous sticking keys, broken
> keytops, one broken key (E5, at the balance rail pin), etc.
>
> When they bought the piano, they thought it was 15 years old.  They only
> missed by 49 years!
>
> Anyway, I was going over the items with the wife and she seemed agreeable,
> but wanted to spread out the repairs for her budget. I was telling her the
> most important things that needed to be fixed, when Sergeant Husband walked
> in, overhearing our conversation, and very loudly stated, "We are NOT
> spending anymore money on this piano, I already spent $125 buying it!  It
> just needs to be tuned and that'll be good enough for the kids!"
>
> So, it got a 60-100 cent pitch raise and a tuning...  and a shy smile from
> the wife who told me to email her the list of needed repairs...  :-)
>
> So we'll see how this goes!
>
> Regards,
>
> Rob McCall
>
> McCall Piano Service, LLC
> www.mccallpiano.com
> Murrieta, CA
> 951-698-1875
>
> --
Ryan Sowers, RPT
Puget Sound Chapter
Olympia, WA
www.pianova.net
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