make it fit!

[pianoman]

She called Tuesday stating that she just moved into her new location and
that her Yamaha grand had 1/3 of the keys jammed so they wouldn't go down
and play and that the movers told her one of the nuts fell out of the piano
and 1 leg bolt would not go in.
	First, I told her that I had never come across a Yamaha grand that the leg
receptacles came out.  I figured I already knew what the jammed key problem
was so I made the appointment for this afternoon.
	She had just moved from a close in suburb into the most expensive private
street St. Louis has to offer, Washington Terrace. Big 3 story classical
brick mansion, beautiful.  She led me into where the piano was.  The entire
top 1/3 of the keys were jammed up.  She then gave me the leg bolt that
would not tighten because the nut had fallen out.  She left me with the
piano while she minded her several kids.  It was a Gh-1B and after removing
the fallboard, cheek blocks, and keyslip I confirmed my suspicion that the
keys were up on top of the front rail pins.  It seems I have only seen this
phenomenon on pianos with up-stop rails.  I don't know what up-stop rails
do but they certainly don't keep keys in place so they can't rotate and jam
on top of the front rail pins.  After releasing the keys I noticed that at
the right hand end of the keyframe the leg bolt was sticking up about an
inch into the keybed area and effectively drilled through the right edge of
the keyframe.  I got my wrench and down to the floor I went unscrewing the
offending leg bolt.  After it was removed it was at least an inch longer
than the one they told her would not tighten.  I, of course proceeded to
screw the one she gave me into its proper place and then was able to remove
the keyframe and action to check for any more damage and found none.  If
that receptacle was a 1/2" more to the center of the keybed it would have
ruined the keyframe good.  The longer bolt of course screwed right where it
was supposed to go and tightened up in the back leg that was missing its
bolt.
	Now wouldn't you think that the mover would notice that there were clearly
2 lengths of bolts and that when you were screwing one in place, the fact
that it was tight with still over an inch to go along with whatever crushed
wood sounds like when it is being crushed  would give them a clue as there
was something wrong here.  The mover, Bekins, had the gall to charge her an
extra $175.00 to move the piano along with the rest of her furniture
because, "they had a special team that specialized in moving grand pianos".
 
	I tuned it after getting things like they ought to be and charged her an
extra $30 above tuning to have them pay for their damages and told her she
was lucky, along with the movers, that they had not royally screwed up the
keyframe.  So, it could have been worse.	
	The only thing I have ever come across worse than this was a client of
mine had a harpsichord that they built from a kit.  They moved and the
movers evidently picked it up, carried it outside and carried it upside
down and all the little "plectra" fell out.  Now, normally you would think
that if you were carrying something and a lot of little parts were falling
out you would go back and pick them up..  Oh, of course not.  Those movers
bought the client a new harpsichord.  Stupidity reigns.
	Now I know you're saying how I or you would never do anything as
outrageously stupid like these two examples.  As Dr. Roger Cliffe, a well
known professor of woodworking says, " I used to know a guy who did
something like that".  I think back and hope that I haven't done anything
this outrageous in the past and I hope I remember to take the clue that if
something that ought to go together easily isn't, it is probably because I
am doing something wrong.  May I remember to take the hints when offered.

James Grebe
R.P.T. of the P.T.G. from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
"Success is not a goal, rather it is a way of life".