[pianotech] older spinets

[Horace Greeley]

Hi, Les,

Careful now.  Any minute someone's going to get the idea that this list has some actual relevance to piano work.

More on point, I applaud your efforts and wish more people (technicians and their customers, alike) would be as realistic as yourself.  

While I do recognize that in areas like Houston and the SF Bay Area which are relatively more affluent, we have more latitude to make those recommendations than many of our colleagues, it's also the case that part of our fiduciary responsibilties to our clients is to tell them when it's time to move on...even if it's to another PSO.

Kind regards.

Horace


-----Original Message-----
From: "Leslie Bartlett" <l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net>
Sender: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org
Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:49:01 
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Reply-To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] older spinets

I am wondering of there is a consensus at all on where one begins to draw
the line at telling a person not to spend any money on a PSO?   I went to a
home Saturday with an old spinet piano, three hammers worn almost to the
wood, not tuned in 30 years, though using a guitar tuner, it only indicated
about -25cents flat.  I was talking with him about the pros and cons in my
own thinking when I noticed the pin block was beginning to separate from the
frame, a modest separation all across the piano.  I strongly suggested he
not spend any money on the piano, as fixing it and getting it to stability
would cost far more than this piano was worth in any market, and with a
little research if he wanted a used piano they could find one much more
functional for less money than what it would cost to repair theirs.  (This
could of course be worse if string broke after so long without tuning.)

 

In Houston, a thriving market with lots of pianos, and many many inexpensive
Asian "pianos", I have been discouraging spending anything but absolute
minimum on the stuff that obviously is way past its prime, and patch up will
add very little to it as an instrument.  I have found some older instruments
I've begged with some success for folks to get rebuilt, but those are few.
With descriptions I've used, people have, without exception, thanked me for
telling them what I did, but I am as concerned that people not waste their
good money as I am in making it for myself (leaving me not in the "top
earner's" category).

 

Thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks 

Les bartlett


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