Whether it's mandated or not...this piano has survived some 140 years. Not bad in what has become a basically throwaway society! It has, in my opinion, earned the right to treated with dignity and respect. To me, that includes bringing it back to a playing condition--both action and tone--that is approximately like it was in when it was crated for shipment from the factory. I'm not a fanatic about these things but I would be reluctant to make any changes to this instrument that would alter its original character. Even though I just know I could do "better!" As someone who has built the occasional piano--and will continue to do so until I can no longer do it competently--I would want to see my pianos being used for as long as they are capable of producing music. And then restored to start all over again. I am not a believer in parking pianos behind a rope where they can only be looked at. Ever! Which is not to say they should be freely available to the great unwashed masses and their kids who want nothing more than to bang their Hot Wheel toy trucks around on the keys, but they should be available to qualified musicians and to audiences to savor what our ancestors did in their spare time. As such I believe they should be truly representative of their maker's design and construction skills not those of some technician who comes along 140 years later. We can reserve those skills for the tens of thousands of mass-produced pianos that have come along later. Anyway, were I ruler of the world--and thank God I'm not--I'd dictate that this thing be restored to as near new condition as is practical--functionally, not necessarily aesthetically--and that it then be made available to as many musicians and audiences as possible. So it could be gently and respectfully worn out again doing what it is supposed to be doing; making music. ddf Delwin D Fandrich Piano Design & Fabrication 620 South Tower Avenue Centralia, Washington 98531 USA del at fandrichpiano.com ddfandrich at gmail.com Phone 360.736.7563 -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Anne Acker Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 11:20 AM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: [pianotech] Restoring Museum Pianos Secondly, museums generally have a mandate to preserve and conserve, so any restoration must keep this in mind. They need education and advice to help them decide what the options and what should be done. This is probably not a job for the standard rebuild shop. Remember that the goal should probably not be to turn it into something like sounds and plays like a 20th - 21st century piano. Museum instruments are not the place for replacing authentic actions and the like. Best, Anne
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