Overdamper Pianos

[Randy Potter]

Please excuse my using a different title, but the thread was regarding
European overdamper pianos (we usually call them "birdcage" pianos on
this side of the pond.

I usually spend about a month in Europe each year, and have made many
friends in our industry, including a number among several supply houses.
None of the supply houses I am aware of carry replacement parts for
overdamper pianos, however Renner will make just about anything you want.
While they do not admit to carrying parts for these pianos, I can't help
but suspect that they "overproduce" special order replacement parts, and
may have boxes hidden somewhere so they can supply more parts without
having to set up again. But that is just a guess. If I were them I think
I would do it, but that doesn't mean they think like I do.

I was surprised when I first started going over, to find that the
technicians there still service so many overdamper pianos.Many
technicians I know say that about 40% of the pianos they service are
overdampers, and one said about 60% of his clients have overdamper
pianos.

The ones we see on the West Coast are, for the most part, dogs - but no
so in Europe. This is, in part, because when the pianos become
unservicable the antique dealers buy them up and ship them over here by
the container load, to America, where people think that something that
looks old and quaint in an "antique" and, therefore, has value. And boy
do they pay for them sometimes.

At any rate, several technicians around the U.S. specialize in servicing
antique instruments, including Bill Garlick in New York and Joe Garrett
(my mentor) in Gales Creek, Oregon. I don't know if Bill does, but Joe
Garrett (503-357-4713) "salvages" parts from instruments which have
exceed their wear cycle, then rebuilds parts for reuse, or sells them as
is. There may be others who provide this service, too.

Randy Potter, R.P.T.



Randy Potter, R.P.T.
Randy Potter School of Piano Technology
Training Competent Piano Technicians for the 21st Century
61592 Orion Drive, Bend, Oregon, U.S.A.  97702-2402
Phone: 541-382-5411   FAX:541-382-5400   E-Mail:rpotter@bendnet.com