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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Dear Esteemed List Contributors,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I'm looking for some opinions on what would be a =
fair
price for a custom-built music desk. It is for a 1920s Baldwin grand. It =
is a
duplicate of the original in mahogany (as was the original) and =
finished to
match the previously refinished (reddish stain, clear lacquer)
piano.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Is there a source for any type of complete music =
desk?
Can one buy a music desk from a manufacturer for a current model =
piano (a
Steinway, a Yamaha or whatever)? I'm thinking a fair price might be the =
price of
a new Yamaha desk plus some percentage (like maybe 50%?) for the custom =
fit and
finish.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Any opinions?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Background - for those interested in the sordid
details - go for it:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I have chosen not to charge for my time. I will =
not do
that. This has been the project from he%%, and I brought it on myself. =
Someone
leaned on the end of the music desk and broke the wood at the end-slot. =
It
started out that I would try and glue it back together. After getting it =
back to
my shop and looking more closely I realized that the break would not fit =
together very well and any glue joint would be obvious - it really =
needed an
epoxy job, but that would get even more ugly looking. I noticed that the =
other
end was cracked also. The wood grain of the original runs parallel with
the ends (new ones go parallel with the long axis of the
desk). She said she wanted it to look nice - the piano has a nice =
finish in
very good condition. So I suggested that we just replace the ends and =
refinish
to match the original. She agreed, but we did not talk fees (yes, yes, =
yes, I
know, please spare me the lecture!!!). I feel very comfortable charging
something beyond the price of a new Yamaha desk (my guess is maybe in =
the $200 -
$300 range - but that's just a wild guess), but I am no cabinet maker, =
and this
project has taken me umpteen unmentionable hours - I can't charge for my =
time -
I feel that if there was a mistake made here, it was my mistake in not =
knowing
how long it would take for me to do this kind of work.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I have no hesitation charging full fees for a =
well-defined
set of services - I do that all the time. I just charged a guy $2K for =
applying
472 band-aids to an old worn out square grand (only new parts that went =
on it
was a set of damper felts). Was the work musically worth that price? No =
way. But
I accurately and fully described exactly what I would be doing, and what =
the
results would be (and the results were as poor as I predicted). He =
agreed, and I
charged him (and he paid with a smile!). My music desk project lacks =
that kind
of clarity - so that is why I feel the need to pursue a different
fee-determination method.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>