Junk Pianos

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: February 09, 2002 11:32 AM
Subject: Junk Pianos


> Forgive me, I know this has been said before, but the time has arisen
again.
>
> Why is it so hard to throw out a junk piano? Why is it they stay around
soooo long? People throw cars out when they are 10 years old. Why not
pianos?
>
> I tuned a 1960s Aeolian spinet the other day for a new client. Hammer
cores without hammer felt (didn't sound any worse than the ones with felt),
some hammers replaced with big bass hammers in the tenor, some hammer felts
held on with thread. Loose tuning pins pounded down so that the coil was
imbedded in the plate, BAD false beats in the tenor, big-time bobbling
hammers, let-off at 3/4", hammers so worn they have 1/2" wide flat contact
surface. I could go on and on.......you've seen them. Just holding together
with thread and tape. This thing plays and sounds as bad as any of them.
>
> Two children are taking lessons and practice on this junker.
>



Terry, have you ever considered (nicely and politely) saying something like,
"Mrs. X, this piano is really not suitable for your children to be playing
on. If it were a horse the kindest thing we could do with it would be to
shoot it and put it out of its misery. I cannot, with a clear conscience,
tune or service this piano knowing the musical harm it will bring to your
family." And then either leaving or, hopeful, spending a few minutes
answering her questions and advising her on the selection of a better piano.

If I had taken an old clunker car to my mechanic for a minimal tune-up for
our teenage daughter to learn to drive with that's basically what he would
have told me. If you take your obsolete computer in to have it 'gone over'
so your kids can learn word processing, etc., that's what you will be told.
Why are we so reluctant to tell our clients the bitter truth about these
things.

We don't have to be nasty about it and we don't have to call them (the
pianos, I mean) disparaging names but, surely, we can at some point decline
to continue working on them.

Del