resource management

[Farrell]

Amen. Well described. Its scary how many of these pianos are out there. The local you-know-who dealer follows this script closely, only charges double a proper job, and skips the bridge recapping thing (can't really see it anyway).

Terry Farrell

Ron wrote:
> 
> >One of the pianos on my schedule today was described over the phone when 
> >the appointment was made as a rebuilt Steinway. Is I was driving out, 
> >knowing no more about it than it's being "rebuilt", I went over the mental 
> >checklist of what I expected to find - and not find. I wasn't 
> >disappointed, which disappointed me... again.
> >
> >It's a 1905 A, two bridges. Refinished, gleaming plate, beautiful looking 
> >shimmed soundboard, all visible hardware re-plated and dazzling. Asking 
> >for any problems I should be aware of besides tuning, a sticking damper 
> >was mentioned. Removing the music rack, key slip, cheek blocks and 
> >fallboard, I got the distinct impression that the piano had been assembled 
> >while the finish was still soft enough to stick things together. It went 
> >back together a whole lot easier than it came apart. Setting the action 
> >aside, I found a damper with a very tight guide bushing and a couple of 
> >split shot clamped on the wire. The shot hadn't helped. Reaming out a half 
> >dozen guide bushings and getting all the sluggish dampers working and 
> >adjusted again, I went to my mental list and started checking things off. 
> >Original back action, solid sustenuto tabs, new damper felts and 
> >refinished heads, new Abel hammers, tapered but not tailed, and new shanks 
> >and flanges. That's it for the action. The rest is original and noisy.
> >
> >Bearing measured quite reasonable throughout, considering the concave 
> >soundboard - over 2mm past flat even along the longest rib, as well as the 
> >usual killer octave. Bridge looks to have been capped, then badly drilled 
> >and notched. Nicely finished, as is the board - at least on top. New 
> >pinblock (I think), with the tuning pin holes countersunk on the bottom 
> >side. Odd, but neat looking. Pins tight and riding the plate.
> >
> >Tone quality was just what you'd expect. Hard high distortion clang on 
> >attack, not much evidence of lower partials, with the sustain sounding 
> >like it was provided almost entirely by the duplex. Lots of high thin 
> >partials, no meat.
> >
> >About the only thing this piano missed from matching my expectation list 
> >was that it didn't have 4/0 pins in the old block. They bought it from a 
> >dealer about a year ago, which was also on my mental list. Everything that 
> >had little to nothing to do with performance, but everything to do with 
> >appearance, was done quite well on this piano. Virtually everything that 
> >should have been done to make it into a performing instrument instead of a 
> >shiny piece of useless furniture was ignored.
> >
> >So now there sits a truly lousy sounding and playing piano of vastly 
> >greater potential than was realized by the standard dealer rebuild I've 
> >come to know and expect in this part of the world. Less than one third of 
> >the work was done for what is typically three fourth's of the price of 
> >doing it right, or better. The customer thought she had bought a rebuilt 
> >piano. She didn't. The piano was raped, as was the customer, and it is now 
> >almost a certainty that it will ever be done right, or better, because of 
> >the money already spent. She'll probably call someone else next time who 
> >will lie to her, since I didn't. I suppose it's just as well.

SNIP

> >Ron N