While there may very well be ways to temporarily fix the problem (as a few people have suggested) it indicates an underlying problem that should influence the appraisal--which is really the issue. Whether it's a loose bridge cap, loose bridge pins, negative bearing or some such problem, the appraisal should reflect the proper fix, not the band-aid one. I recently had a similar vintage Steinway with a similar sound in the same area. Someone prior to me had inserted some thin shims under the strings through the first capo section which improved the situation somewhat. I was contracted by the University that owned the piano to address the problem in a more permanent way and found, when I destrung the piano, that the bridge pins were quite loose and some very vigorous smashing down of the strings on the bridge to try and seat the strings had made matters worse. I recapped the capo section and resurfaced, renotched and repined the rest of the bridge, securing the pins with epoxy. That coupled with a careful filing of the capo bar and a change of the agraffes cleaned things up enormously. By recapping the bridge in the capo section I was also able to alter the speaking lengths a bit to create a better log progression at slightly higher tensions which improved the power in that section. While your problem may not be exactly the same, it is likely that the only proper fix will involve at least a restringing and some attention to the bridge in the offending section. Your appraisal should reflect that, not what you might be able to get away with. David Love davidlovepianos at comcast.net www.davidlovepianos.com -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Bob Hull Sent: Saturday, August 26, 2006 9:37 AM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: appraisal question another thonk? Hi List, A church that is selling 5 pianos has asked me to give them an appraisal for each one to determine selling prices. I've done quite a few appraisals over the years but one of these pianos, a 1978 Steinway B, has a strange sound that has me puzzled in terms of how the value of the instrument is affected. If you can help me, not necessarily with a $$ amount but with diagnosis, I'd appreciate it greatly. This B has a strange sound in the first 5 or 6 notes of the treble strings and bridge. The tone is weak, reminds me of a really cheap sounding old baby grand, tone is unfocused, makes you think about poor termination somewhere; I would perhaps describe it like a recent post that mentioned a tenor "thonk". The bridge glue joint in that area looks ok, bridge looks ok, there is some downbearing. I swapped some hammers and it sounded a little better but the same basic sound characteristic remained. I tried to overcome the weakness and noisy thud with voicing and hammer hardening, and I got louder but basic sound problem still persists. Underneath "looks" alright ribs and board no glue joints separated. This B is a teflon era piano with hammers worn to the point of needing replacement. The action "works" but has a high DW - 60 plus and UW corresponds. A few keytops have those dirty hairline cracks. The soundboard has a couple of cracks that are closed up now but this winter will most likely be more obvious. Cracks are not under that area of the bridge. The overall sound of the piano is not bad, just underpowered, somewhat unfocused - the worn hammers could contribute to that. Should I just say it's got to have a new board and action, and be done with it? For many people, they would be fairly satisfied with this instrument (although it's not up to its real potential) if those few notes weren't bad, however. Not knowing what the cause of this strange sound is or how to set the price range for them. It's in a building that is distant and someone has to meet me there each time I look at it, so I don't have easy access. Bob Hull __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
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