hidden damage question

[Wimblees@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 9/1/99 6:29:44 AM !!!First Boot!!!, Tunethepno@AOL.COM 
writes:

<< List,
     A church, for which I tune, had some night visitors last Friday. Instead 
 of just stealing the sound system, which they did, they decided to vent 
 something deep inside. They ripped all the keys out of the organ and dumped 
 it over. Then they went to the piano, a middle aged 5' Knabe grand, and 
 reached inside and twisted the dampers into a mess. Feeling that they were 
 not doing justice to the piano, they dumped it over upside down. Aside from 
 the case damage and the dampers, it didn't appear too bad. The tuning was 
 about normal for the six months that have passed since the last one, the 
 action seemed to be functioning normally, the frame wasn't cracked, and I 
 couldn't find anything loose are damaged with the soundboard.
     I was wondering if the impact of landing upside down might cause some 
 damage that would show up later on. Would the strings be weakened at the 
 pressure points?  Would the pinblock be loosened from the frame? Might the 
 soundboard develop some type of stress damage?  Just wondering. Has anybody 
 had experience with this kind of thing?
     Thanks,
         John Stroup
  >>

Summer vacations are just too long. We've got to give these kids something to 
do, or else they will find something to do, as above. 

Pianos are very rugged instruments. There is reason they are so heavy. If the 
piano was dropped of a stage, and landed at an awkward angle, causing a lot 
of stress on the joints, it will cause irreparable damage. But it appears it 
landed squarely upside down, not causing any stress. The tuning would go out 
immediately if something cracked, or came undone. Since it didn't, I think 
the church, and the insurance company, got off easy. The hardest part is 
going to be fixing those dampers.

Good luck

Willem Blees