>If the guy isn't a piano technician, he has no >business mucking about in players. Ron, Actually, he IS a rebuilder specializing in players ... he just didn't tune at the time (and doesn't "really" tune now). He typically takes great care in doing fine player rebuilds, including some rare instruments (last summer I was honored to tune a collectors item he helped rebuild -- an art-carved Mason & Hamlin, one of only three that were made), but depending on his fluctuating financial pressures, he sometimes will agree to "just get it working" if it's an old upright and the owners are obviously not going to pay for a rebuild. I didn't mean to imply that I had any negative feelings towards him, since I've known him for a long time and used to do a lot of work for him reshaping hammers and such. I have an old player upright, and if I ever get a couple thousand dollars, he is the only one I would entrust it to for rebuilding. You can R&R (rant and rave) as much as you want. I've seen lots of botched jobs, both players and non. The first time I tuned at the Rialto Theater, I looked at the Steinway D in total disbelief. The year before they had payed the previous "technician" (a female, alas -- or: a lass, alas) to restring it. A 12 year old kid with some simple instructions could have probably done a better job. The windings went on top of each other, not one of the pins had three windings, some ran across the plate, some weren't pounded in all the way ... !! I told the technical director he should demand his money back, but the "technician" had left the state. He couldn't get the money to have it redone, so that's how it stayed. But every time I looked at it I got angry. Barb B. Sycamore IL
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