Killer Octave - Warranty Issue?

[Farrell]

OMG! Is that possible! Maybe - the guy picked it up a the local
Steinway/University sale - you know, the place where they try to dump off
misfit odds & ends like this at inflated prices (how else do you think they
pay for renting the university and moving 4,386 pianos - some of them
twice!). I lost my mind and neglected to write down the serial number of the
piano - but obviously I can get it. Do you have the serial number of the
piano you had seen?

Oh, wouldn't that be a sad, sad story?

You are in Florida? Where abouts?

Terry Farrell
Tampa, Florida

P.S. My original piano, a 1995 1098, I exchanged for a Boston grand (from
the same place), because of pinblock/frame separation (they routed in a
patch - did not fix it), inverted soundboard crown, false beats, etc. - all
problems still there - as I saw the piano just a couple months ago, still on
the showroom floor and priced at $16,000 (Brand-new! Hand-built by
master-craftsmen!)!

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Servinsky" <tompiano@gate.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 7:30 AM
Subject: Re: Killer Octave - Warranty Issue?


> Terry,
> This sound like the same piano a customer of mine, which purchased it from
> your local dealer, which was sent back to your local dealer, and I bet was
> resold without having any work done to it. The exact same problems were
> noted and the manufacturer and local dealer agreed to take the piano back
> but what happened to that piano since then I have no idea.  Now I realize
> this would be strectch if it were THE SAME PIANO, but stranger things have
> happened.
> Anyhow I did determined that it was a board problem as there was no crown
in
> the killer octave nor was there bearing. The manufacturer was more than
> agreeable to exchange the piano and from the sounds of the conversation,
> this was not the first hazard they had fielded on this  model.
> Contact the manufacturer directly and you'll be friend of that client for
> life.
> Tom Servinsky,RPT
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 07, 2001 6:57 PM
> Subject: Killer Octave - Warranty Issue?
>
>
> > Tuned a real beauty this afternoon - 3 year old Kohler & Campbell 4' 6"
> > grand (or....not so grand as the case may be). I had to take a
double-take
> > at the thing when I first walked in the house - I thought it might be
one
> of
> > those 2-foot deep fake-grand digital pianos. But NO, I opened the lid
and
> > low and behold, there were a couple hundred strings in there.
> >
> > I pointed out the prominent false beats in the top two octaves to the
> owner.
> > He agreed that was a problem, and plans to contact the dealer regarding
a
> > warranty fix.
> >
> > Running up and down the keyboard, this piano has a VERY prominent killer
> > octave area. It is about an octave in size and is centered in the treble
> > section (second from the top out of four sections). Volume just drops
way,
> > way down. One of the worst examples of a killer octave area that I have
> > heard. It is really, really prominent. Plucking strings indicates the
same
> > prominent killer octave area.
> >
> > I have not tried voicing or anything else. But I strongly suspect that
> there
> > is nothing that has caused just the dozen or so hammers in that area to
go
> > mush. I strongly suspect this is a soundboard/bridge problem.
> >
> > The owner is a intermediate piano player at best. He has not said
anything
> > about it to me. This killer octave thing to me is real, but its cause is
a
> > bit fuzzy, because I have never fixed one. What is the consensus here -
> > should I point it out to the owner and suggest he may want to initiate a
> > warranty claim (let 'em voice it six times and replace strings, etc.
> before
> > you insist on a new soundboard/piano)? It seems extreme to me, but with
> what
> > I know now about pianos, and if I had bought the piano, I sure as $#%&
> would
> > want it fixed! I know it is a junk piano, but it should at least start
out
> > consistent across the whole keyboard. The tenor/bass break is OK
> tone-wise -
> > I would not expect more - it is on a par with other junk like this -
maybe
> > even near the top of the heap! - but a whole dead octave seems way less
> than
> > par to me. Is this elusive killer octave a warranty issue?
> >
> > Waddaya think?
> >
> > Terry Farrell
> >
>