Clunker pianos - what do you do?

[Andrew and Rebeca Anderson]

Well Al,
Maybe we mean different things when we say "clunker".

The case I was called on involved a "family-heirloom" that spent 20 
some odd years out in the barn.  It had been infested with some kind 
of wood eating bug as a bunch of the keys had flopped over and the 
key pins had nothing to bed in.  A lot of the action was flopping 
too, wood (missing) and glue joint issues.  More then half the 
strings where broken, I tried lowering one out of curiosity and it 
broke too.  South Texas weather is brutal to glue joints and 
everything glued (case, hammer-felt, etc.) was coming apart.  You 
could push a pencil through the cracks in the soundboard.

I suggested that I knew of other used instruments that where for-sale 
at a reasonable price.  They weren't interested.  I gently pointed 
out that there was no foundation on which to make this an instrument 
and they still insisted.  I quoted them $8000 to make it an 
instrument again and they were offended.  'Nuff said.  (Don't ask for 
that quote again because I don't think it is enough anymore.)

On the other hand I was called out to give a bid to restore a piano 
for local businessman's daughter who decided she wanted to learn 
piano.  I looked at what apparently was an old English cottage 
industry piano.  It had an open pinblock with large cracks running 
from pin to pin, some more than half the length of the piano.  The 
strings were very rusty.  Felt glue joints were coming apart.  The 
action was mounted by a wood toggle to the case on each end and 
swayed in the middle.  About two thirds of the action actually would 
activate with the keys.  I asked him how much it cost him, 
$500.  Ouch!  I asked him what his budget was.  $600.  I discussed 
the quality range this piano was in brand new and what condition it 
was in now.  I pointed out to him that it simply wasn't tunable and 
then pointed to the failing glue joints and he said, "Yeah, they said 
it was on their open back porch for only a short time."

I told him that even if I could get everything to kind-of function 
that this piano would be a barrier to the learning progress not a 
vehicle of learning.  I suggested his remaining budget was much 
better spend on one of the digital pianos that was for sale at a 
local store and that this digital piano would get his daughter 
half-way through elementary piano but that in three to four years she 
would need a real piano and he would need to save up to purchase 
something in the three to four thousand dollar range.  I suggested 
that if he was interested in another used piano to give me a call 
first.  He thanked me for my candor.  He said that he appreciated 
that I didn't just take his money like another technician offered to 
do and "produce something that would be miserable to play."  (Never 
mind not tunable.)  He paid me more than I asked for driving all the 
way out there to look at it and four free flat-tire repair coupons.

Someone is bringing dead pianos down here to Laredo and fast talking 
people into buying fixer-uppers.  They are invariably dead 
wrecks.  There word is getting out by word of mouth not to buy from 
him but I still get called out to look at them occasionally.  I still 
cringe at the high prices he is getting for them.

I service plenty of older pianos that need a little voicing, reg. key 
leveling etc. that I get to work on little by little at each appointment.

I have a businessman friend who decided to get into the used piano 
business on the side and I send customers to him because I've seen 
the pianos and they are serviceable.

YMMV,
Andrew Anderson

At 06:35 AM 4/11/2008, you wrote:
>Andrew Anderson wrote:
>"Not a customer I wanted to have"
>
>Not a technician I would want!
>
>Al Guecia
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:anrebe at sbcglobal.net>Andrew and Rebeca Anderson
>To: <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org>Pianotech List
>Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 8:24 PM
>Subject: Re: Clunker pianos - what do you do?
>
>Most of the time I get called to rescue a clunker because it was 
>bought with the intention of inflicting it on a budding piano 
>student.  That is something I don't choose to be a part of.  They 
>thought they could get a piano on the cheap and I show them that 
>they wasted their money and suggest that they stop the hemorrhaging 
>before it gets any worse.
>
>Occasionally I do get the "but we want it anyway" spiel and then I 
>do quote what it would take to do it right, eight to ten Gs and they 
>usually get angry.  Not a customer I wanted to have.
>
>Andrew Anderson
>
>At 03:51 PM 4/10/2008, you wrote:
>>Hi Andrew
>>   I also give this advice....
>>  However, your definition of value may be different than the 
>> clients.  We ascribe values in many ways other than money..Know what I mean?
>>ie.  It's Grandmas piano...It has potential. It'll sound better 
>>than the new bright shinies out there & yes it needs 10 K of 
>>work...Is it worth it on the open market when done.  Probably 
>>not...Do they care....Probably not.  Advise them & then let them 
>>make their own choices. There grown ups after all.
>>
>>   Dale
>>
>>
>>
>>Michelle,
>>I have a simple rule-of-thumb. If the cost of my work far exceeds 
>>the potential value of the piano I refuse to take the job.
>>
>>Andrew Anderson
>>
>>
>>----------
>>Get the 
>><http://www.mapquest.com/toolbar?NCID=mpqmap00030000000003>MapQuest 
>>Toolbar, Maps, Traffic, Directions & More!

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