Belly Jobs, (was whoops)

[Charles K. Ball]

{snip}

>       I have sent many pianos to the Steinway Restoration Services for
>soundboard replacement and will go on record as saying, I have not gotten a
>bad one yet. (No two sounded alike, but all produced the "Sound")
>
>      In comparison,  I  service  several Steinways with boards replaced by
>several, different, widely known firms, and have seen a number of others, and
>there is, to my sense of tonal response,  something profoundly lacking in
>these instruments.
>
>     Not so with any of the factory replacements, IMHO,  they are the surest
>bet to having your Steinway sound like a Steinway.
>
>Regards,
>Ed Foote
>Precision Piano Works

Dear Ed,

I am not in any position to dispute your experience, but my 25 year
experience with a variety of private rebuilders is somewhat different.
There is no doubt that Steinway & Sons is ideally poised to perform
excellent Steinway piano rebuilding and back it with their stability and
good name. And, if there is any similarity with their current production,
the results must be superb.

Nonetheless, I must put in a word for the many excellent private
rebuilders, many of whom are your colleagues in PTG. We have had over 20
Steinway grands from our inventory at the School of Music rebuilt over the
years by various shops, and the consensus of our (loyal Steinway) faculty
and international guest artists has consistently been that they are among
the finest instruments that they have played.

There was a well written article by Lou Tasciotti in the May/June 1995
"Piano And Keyboard" which takes very much the same point of view as you
have expressed regarding the quality of work at Steinway & Sons. However,
several letters from teachers and rebuilders were subsequently published
expressing other points of view, including very positive experiences with
private rebuilders.

My personal experience is that the quality of rebuilding in this country is
at an all time high. I would be interested to hear from others on this
subject.

Charles




Charles Ball
School of Music
University of Texas at Austin
ckball@mail.utexas.edu