[pianotech] Replacing plastic elbows

Tue Dec 8 12:31:13 MST 2009

I've replaced literally thousands and thousands probably tens of thousands
of these stupid plastic elbows over the years.  What a dumb design.  

You mean to tell me that none of you people have experienced any of the
replacment sets breaking again either from faulty material which there was a
lot of during one period of time many years ago or, as they aged again?
Gee.  Musbenice.  I've had so many of them re-break and I do not mean just a
few either, dozens and dozens that I finally stopped recommending the
plastic "space age" snap ons.  It really doesn't take all that long to shove
out a pin and stick on a wooden replacement instead.  Maybe double the time
or so.  Never to break again.  That's my main goal.  If it's going to be
replaced, replace it with something that I know, will not re-break.
Something that will work correctly.  If it is worth it that is.  If not,
time for a new piano.  Like I said in another post, I don't do that kind of
garbage anymore anyway but, if I were to do it, I would still do it with
wood.  

Yat Lam Hong has been recommending using only wooden ones for 30 years.
Perhaps for the same reason as me.

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of William Monroe
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 2:15 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Replacing plastic elbows

On Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 12:05 PM, <wimblees at aol.com> wrote:

In these days of tight money, do you really think someone is going to pay
$500, on a piano that only cost them a few hundred

Most of these pianos were "heirlooms". We've discussed that on this list in
the past, but even if it's not an heirloom, inmost cases, the money spent on
replacing the elbows is still cheaper than buying another piano. 

But here's another view on this. The actual replacing of the elbows in only
part of the $500 spent. As I mentioned, the $500 includes
regulating,cleaning, tightening screws,shaping hammers. In other words, if
we're going to encourage the customer to replacing the elbows, while we're
at it, why not improve the piano at the same time.  And, the $500 doesn't
even include the tuning, which is some cases might even be a pitch raise. So
the total bill might be in the $700 range. 

If it is presented right, and the customer agrees to spend the money, I
think it's worth it. 

Wim

The question, was not do we replace elbows or not replace elbows, Wim, only
that it's much more cost effective to replace with the Vagias elbows than
wooden elbows.  The choice of wood over the Vagias does not necessarily
represent better quality, just more time, thus more expense.

William R. Monroe

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