Two Loose Pins

[gutlo]

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> From: Piesik, John (JPIESIK) <JPIESIK@arinc.com>
> To: Pianotech Post Msg (E-mail) <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Subject: Two Loose Pins
> Date: Friday, December 10, 1999 12:23 PM
> 
> This involves a 4 foot 8 inch, no-name grand PSO, 1920s vintage,
fair-poor
> condition, nice refinishing job, crummy design.
> 
> About half a dozen tuning pins are barely holding tension at A440, 2 pins
> aren't holding at all, and the rest are marginally holding pitch.
> 
> The 2 pins, right in the center of the keyboard, are the subject of this
> email. The way the plate/block was drilled has these 2 worst offending
pins
> about 1/16 of an inch from each other! One of the pins string exits in a
> serpentine fashion around the other pin, over its string at the bottom of
> the coil, around another pin, and finally on to the hitch pin at the back
of
> the plate - absolutely unbelievable! Turning either of these 2 pins
affects
> the other! Needless to say, these are the 2 pins that won't hold pitch (I
> wonder if they ever did for any length of time). No room to drive them
down,
> either.
> 
> I really don't want to mess with this PSO, but the poor lady paid $1.5K
for
> it (without having it inspected first, but she liked the finish), is
having
> a Christmas party on the 18th (and she calls for service only weeks
before),
> and, of course, her "aunt Elisa from Vienna who plays for the symphony"
will
> be there, and she wants the piano to be just right for the party!! She's
> already out her $1500 purchase, $125 for my time during the first service
> call, and whatever my charge would be to go back (if I do). Note that she
> was desperate from the beginning, and still is.
> 
> My question is: Is there *anything* I can (or should) do to get just the
2
> worst offending tuning pins to hold for a week or two? That's all she
wants.
> Does super glue work on pins that aren't holding tension at all? Should I
> send her on to the yellow pages with my best wishes? I know I can't win
on
> this one. I didn't discover that the thing was completely untunable until
> about two hours into the service call, after I'd made significant action
> repairs - partly my fault for not finding out it was untunable before it
was
> too late. Should I send her a full or partial refund and write it off as
a
> loss?
> 
> Any suggestions??
> 
> Very Appreciatively,
> 
> John Piesik, RPT
> Piesik's Piano Service
> Oceanside, CA
> (760) 726-4665
> jpiesik@arinc.com
> 
> P.S. Please respond directly to me as I'm not currently subscribed to the
> pianotech list. Thanks!

Wouldn't know how to fix this one, but perhaps if someone knew the email
address of Two Loose Lautrec, he might  shed some light on the problem.
Arthur Grudko