Water Damage & Insurance

[Farrell]

Here we go again - Water Damage! - Yes, but every case is different!

1930s? - 1950s? Estey microgrand. Restrung, pinblock, nicely refinished some years ago (10 to 20?). House flooded - piano not in standing water, but exposed to very high humidity environment for a few days last October. I inspected piano about two months ago - the owner was complaining that dampers were sticking. Everything looked OK, but dampers were hanging up. Gave them a proposal for easing damper guide rail bushings polishing damper wires, and regulating damper timing (because dampers would be removed).

I posted about this a while back. Someone suggested (Wim maybe, Newton maybe???) that I be sure to put in a disclaimer type statement about more problems popping up over the next year or so. I did that.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to the piano this morning and played a few notes. Dampers still sticking. Removed all dampers, eased bushings, polished wires, regulated damper timing (used my Bill Spurlock jig - best grand damper regulation I have ever done by FAR, and it was EASY and FAST - every one of them rascals lifted at exactly the same time - just like a new Yamaha). Time to tune. Banged out a couple of cords: and BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ goes the soundboard. BUZZZZZZZZZZ goes the bridge. Buzz, buzzz, buzzzzz. The board is loose from ribs, bridge, you-name-it. Pushing up on board from below is crackling everywhere.

So, here finally is the question(s). She has a replacement-type policy, so she wants it fixed right. I need to provide her insurance company a cost estimate for soundboard replacement (obviously, the cost is going to exceed the value of the piano, which I would place around $3,000 - and will even likely exceed the cost of piano replacement (with one of similar quality). I guess one has to limit proposed repairs to that which may be caused by water damage. So we have soundboard. I suppose the bridge is not damaged (are we worried about the cap peeling off?). To get to the soundboard, we need to remove strings - ain't nobody gonna get me to put half-rusted plain wires back on, so new plain strings. What about the bass strings? They sound OK - like you would expect on such a piano - but not tubby. Do we propose to re-use the bass strings? What about the pinblock? Certainly restringing will cause some wear-and-tear to the pinblock.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

Terry Farrell