<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2873" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This sounds like a potential fabulous opportunity for a rebuilder. The K&B are generally well-built pianos. 1912 should have metal action brackets - but yes, the actions do have weird parts - the action will be more expensive to properly rebuild than normal - either need to use custom parts, or convert to more traditional action.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The owners obviously know it needs rebuilding - they may not be aware of the full extent needed, but they clearly appear to be half-way there. The piano is obviously a family heirloom - no other piano is going to work in quite the same way.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Such a small piano is potentially a prime candidate for belly design improvements (need to evaluate rim, framing, plate, etc to determine what exactly can be done with it). IMHO, assuming the thing needs a new soundboard, I would just recommend a full remanufacture with a redesigned belly (assuming plate, etc. allows proper redesign) and tell 'em you (or whomever) can make the piano sound and play better than any new small grand for $30 to $35K and see then where the family heirloom thing pushes them.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hey, if you are not interested, I'd jump at an opportunity like this!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>I got this e-mail today. Should I tell them what I "think" I should? <BR><BR>I don't want to deal with it at all but if it <I>might </I>be worth it, I <BR>could refer it to someone else here. <BR><BR>Isn't this the brand, Conrad, that you made a planter out of? :-D Or<BR>am I thinking of something else? <BR><BR>Comments? <BR><BR>Avery Todd<BR>University of Houston<BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">The piano is a 1912 Kranich & Bach 5'4" baby grand that has been in  <BR>the family since the 1930s. It has been primarily a furniture piece  <BR>for the past 25 years and probably hasn't been tuned in nearly that  <BR>time. There are a few dead keys. It has been in a climate controlled  <BR>home in Houston for over 40 years.  There is no water damage or major  <BR>structural compromise that we are aware of.<BR><BR>We anticipate some reconditioning will be necessary and possibly even  <BR>partial rebuilding.<BR><BR>We are contemplating the addition of a PianoDisc or similar system to  <BR>allow for recording and playback.</BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>