On 4/6/2011 8:06 PM, Richard Ucci wrote: > List, > I have a client with a 1890's B which was rebuilt last year. It's one of > those with the round red understring felts in the treble, with new > Steinway hammers. Serial #63710. > The treble section all the way to the top is DULL CITY. The rebuilder > said it was the it was made. This piano has only 85 keys. > What would be the best way to bring it up? I essentially agree with Nick. Do what you can to try to make what is there work first. Lift and level strings, tighten bends around bridge pins, and try to salvage what's left with voicing - just like you would do with any of a number of brand new pianos showing the same problem. Sometimes it's relatively simple. When that doesn't work, do all the available soundboard diagnostic routines, including crown and bearing measurements, pluck tests, and divination from stirring the entrails of your "auricle" of choice to determine viability of the board. Should you get lucky in phase one, and be able to meet the owner's performance criteria with stringandhammerdigitation, you have definitely already won. If not, you're looking at finding a graceful way to say that the instrument needs a working board, which it doesn't now have, which should have been included in the original rebuild estimate. Good luck. Ron N
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