Bidding Restringing Job

[Jerry Hunt]

It looks like the question is moot for the time being. The piano in question is
a Starck spinet, about 40-45 years old. Last night, I did a pitch raise
(actually two) from over a half step flat and a fine tuning (yes, it will need
another tuning in the near future, but is real close to A440 now). Bridges and
soundboard all look to be in good shape - no noticable cracks or compression
ridges. The pinblock appears to be in pretty good shape: all of the pins were
fairly tight, a few a little looser but not bad at all. The piano needs
regulation - I touched up some of the worst lost-motion offenders.

The bass strings are dirty and tubby sounding, plain strings look fairly good
and withstood the pitch raise with now problem - a bit hard to judge the tone as
the hammers are in need of filing. But the owner has decided to wait to see if
their daughter is going to stick with lessons before spending that kind of money
on the piano, which has been in the family since it was new....

Thanks anyway to all who responded.


Rob Stuart-Vail wrote:

> Stan,
>
> We've all been there, so I just have to ask:
>
> Are you planning on doing this job on site?  That *should* add considerably
> to your estimate because of extra travel.  If not on site, don't forget to
> add the RT moving costs in your estimate.
>
> And, you might want to try restringing a few notes as a test of the
> viabililty of the pinblock *first* before committing to the job.  The most
> recent ( and best ) repinning I've done incorporated the best advice of the
> List (such as drilling/reaming the holes, etc).  The results were good.
>
> Rob Stuart-Vail
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stan Kroeker <skroeker@mts.net>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: Wednesday, September 30, 1998 7:18 PM
> Subject: Re: Bidding Restringing Job
>
> >>I may be getting my first re-stringing job for pay soon, and would
> >>appreciate some assistance on calculating the bid. I estimate that the
> >>bass strings are going to run just under $150. And while I haven't yet
> >>run the numbers, I can get a pretty good handle on how much my cost of
> >>the plain wire will be. Finally, I use Joe Garret's Repair Labor Guide
> >>to figure labor. Generally, I charge customers double my cost of parts
> >>and accessories. So, my question is, do you normally use this same
> >>markup for strings?
> >
> >Jerry,
> >
> >You make no mention of the piano you will be restringing.  Have you
> >assessed the condition of the soundboard (is it cracked?..is there crown
> >remaining?..How much?) or the bridges (cracks at the pin locations?..loose
> >pins?)  I'm assuming you are repinning the original pinblock.(?)
> >
> >I encourage you to read Bill Spurlock's articles in the reprint book titled
> >'Bridges and Soundboard Repair'.  They detail efficient soundboard crack
> >and bridge 'reconditioning' techniques that have become a standard part of
> >my price quotations for restringing.
> >
> >If Joe Garrett lists 22.5 hours for complete restringing, not including
> >string scale data gathering, then the above soundboard and bridge
> >reconditioning might add an additional 25 hours (on average) of labor, but
> >the results are worth it!!
> >
> >If this is an older piano, consider that when the strings are off, it will
> >be the first opportunity in decades to correct deterioration or sloppy work
> >or both, in the soundboard/bridge assembly.
> >
> >Best regards,
> >
> >Stan Kroeker
> >Registered Piano Technician
> >
> >Kroeker & Sons Piano Experts
> >59 Quiring
> >Winnipeg, Manitoba
> >Canada  R2G 1Y5
> >
> >Ph. 204-669-5881
> >
> >



--
Jerry Hunt
Dallas, TX USA