Junk piano!

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message -----
From: Robin Stevens <pianotun@bigpond.com>
To: ChatPage <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2002 9:05 PM
Subject: Junk piano!


> Welcome to the REAL world Terry!!!!
> (see below)
>
> Robin Stevens
> APTTA accredited
> Port Pirie South Australia
> 08 8633 0533
> pianotun@bigpond.com
>
> 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.
>
> This piano is in a new development. Estimate $200,000 home. New beautiful
> furniture everywhere. Giant screen TV built into 2-story marble wall -
along
> with home theatre sound system. Polished granite kitchen. Two $40,000+
SUVs
> sitting in driveway. One with all the add-on lights, iron front grilles,
> etc. for when she has to cross the Himalayas on her way to the grocery
> store. And in the midst of all this is this "free" beat-up dysfunctional
> crud piano. What gives?
>
> They will toss the SUV when it gets a rip in the padded leather seat, but
> they will subject their children to this dysfunctional pile of junk.
>
> End of rant..............for now.
>
> Terry Farrell


    Yup.  I've tuned in many a mansion, some of them more like $2,000,000
homes, whose owners could justify nothing better than a 50 year-old
Cable-Nelson or Wertilizer spinet, which of course had seen a tuner maybe
once every 10 years, and had  never felt the touch of a capstan wrench or
hammer filing paddle.  And they're reluctant to spend more than the tuning
fee until they find out if the poor child has the "talent" to get the
horribly regulated, unevenly voiced old box to sound like a piano.  They
didn't get rich by wasting their money on piano service, no
     --David Nereson, RPT, Denver