Custom Piano Restoration

[PAULREVENKOJONES]

Dale (and others, particularly RicB):

I feel compelled to chime in here. While I have not been at all vocal on a lot of the technical issues and threads that have been generated here, I have watched (lurked) carefully the conversations about CR and the technical topics which impact it (how do I choose?). We have always felt that CR was the only and legitimate process in restoring pianos. We were the first in the Chicago area to begin replacing boards back in the late 80's, then bridges, then etc. As all of us are, we are constantly pressured by the economics of restoration, and the beginning rebuilders are in the worst position in terms of tooling and knowledge. We need to be exemplars of the craft, and we do need to toot our horns in the face of envy, doubt, and the economics of piano work. Manufacturers have totally different economic drives, as do the greater number of dealers who claim to rebuild as part of their business. Floor space and straw horses, etc. I don't want to go there. 

Where I want to go is in the direction of exemplary craftspersonship. Yes, put yours names on your work. Yes, as a wonderful poet named Louis Simpson once told me over dinner when I was complaining about getting poems published, "Keep serving it to them until they eat it!" Yes,charge huge (fair) prices for the work. Let the dross of the profession fall to the wayside; either they'll get it or they won't. 

Our clients pay us a substantial amount of money to love their pianos, to extend our passion to the act(s) of restoration. That love is reflected in the tactile and tonal experience of the pianist. We claim it to be true without fear of the risks of doubt or envy or any vaunted manufacturer purity. 

The pianos I saw in Rochester for the most part reflect this drive. While I firmly believe that 90 percent of the innovations seen there will likely never be made more generally available via manufacturer adoption, that doesn't obviate their goodness, propriety, or the value of the creative spirits that introduce them.

Paul Revenko-Jones


In a message dated 12/10/06 00:45:53 Central Standard Time, Erwinspiano writes:
  RIc
  Ah.. ha. Now your talking my language.  Now you've finally gotten around to the message that  David Andersen & I have been verbalizing & pumping for quite some time now. All My belly head colleagues on list & in the gallery clearly understand & promote the value added piano that custom restoration/design produces. 
   IMHO C. R. equals unparrelled sound, touch & beauty.  Professional pianist & ameteurs alike are weary of the mass produced sound & touch & the marketing schpeel that goes with it.  Their ears are aching for a highly refined piano that lights up their soul, And the attendees at Rochester made this abundantly clear ....they are ready for something new & can hear the difference. 
   One frustration/risk has been that when we speak enthusiastically of our own pianos or speak of a subjective  tonal experiences we run the risk of appearing to be some kind of prima donnas or some one selling the emperors new clothes so we/many have been careful as to how much we can say. Truth is we are very excited about the sound we are hearing & Love hearing piano music played on instruments that a pianist has tonal Carte Blanche.
  Up to now it's a hard sell though because it's an uphill battle against all the marketing & misinformation put out by dealers.  Some folks get it & others don't. Some folks hear & feel the difference & understand that the perception of Custom restoration is REAL!  However as networking thru our members gets the word out more folks are hitting our web sites with requests for information & piano for sale.  More techs are calling us for belly work.  It's gratifying but we have a long way to go to change perception & frankly the best way to do it is to have events like the Rebuilders Gallery where we can put our hands & ears on the real deal & experience a brand new flavor & nuance. Hearing is not believing it's knowing
  Ain't it great!!
  Dale Erwin
Hi Dale

All other perceptions and issues aside.... what you describe below is 
actually my big hope for the industry at large.  It has seemed apparent 
to me for a long time that the potential for the <<one man shop>> to 
make the absolute best instruments around is a moment just waiting for 
its time.  I'm actually amazed that mass production in its many forms 
ends up doing as well as it does.  But the potential for quality that 
lies in the <<one man shop>> really can outstrip any factory IMHO.  Its 
just a concept waiting for its time in this industry I think.  Let the 
mass production pianos be for the masses.... and let the serious 
pianists of the world finally wake up to the fact that music is not 
about predictability... especially since that is largely an illusion to 
begin with.... and open up for a world of tonality and quality that 
could exist if they would just start looking more seriously at 
individual piano makers (persons) for their instruments instead of known 
name manufacturers.

Cheers
RicB


    Ric
        In my practice when someone orders a An RC  board the ones I
    make will
    transfer much of the load bearing  capacity to  the ribbing. Be
    aware that  in
    my RC boards the ribs are made taller  & of stiffer materials with
    tight radii
    The compression componenet will  vary between 5 to 5.5% mc at time
    of pressing
    depending on what type of climate  the piano is going to. 
    Nevada/Arizona
    etc. gets the lower  MC & the bay area gets 6% or higher. In either
    case, because
    of  prevailing MC in the mentioned climate, the panel compression
    will end up
    being  roughly similar at there final destinations. Customization is
    great.
    If I  had to ascribe a percentage of crown support from this type of
    board I'd
    just be  guessing at 20 to 30% as opposed to a purelly C.C. design.
      All boards must benefit from the interface..hey it's a  form of
    plywood.
    Beyond that it's many variable dynamic stresses in the panel  that
    make it
    work....or not.
     Dale

        A RC  board can be said to have curved ribs... but beyond that
        it can
        either  rely largely on panel compression and the stress
        interface this
        creates  with the ribs, or it can be a pure RC and S board.  All
        depends
        on  how much compression the whole assembly process ends up
        putting into
        the  board.

        Cheers
        RicB
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