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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I spent almost an hour with a family with an 1917
old upright of questionable worth. They had spent 200$ for it and had
already developed a family heimloom type attachment. "Fix it - make
it sing again - dont worry about the cost - as long as we can pay for it
in installments." I believe the previous technician was maybe more
salesman than tech. He had told them that once he was done, they would
need a rider on their home owners insurance policy. for the piano. The
previous tech had replaced a few broken strings, fixed a few broken hammer
shanks and "TUNED" the piano He also had suddenly left town, and they
called me. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>These were really nice people and I wanted to help
them, but.......The piano was over one and a half notes flat, most hammers
bobbled, blow distance was at least a half inch too much, etc. Hammers
hard as rocks, and dampers shot. The sustain indicated that the sb was ok
but marginal. I tried to explain that the piano was old and tired, and
that although I could certainly improve it, that it wasn t a good
investment. Needs hammers, dampers, regulation, key bushings,
and probably numerous yet undiagnosed action parts
fixed. They asked me why I was so negative, and I said that I
just wanted to be realistic about the outcome after they spent all this
money. Recommended they consider a new or at least newer
piano. But their zeal won me over. I agreed to do an
estimate and come back later this week to to multiple pitch raises and a tuning,
hopefully not breaking multiple strings in the process. I received a
call late this evening from the mother, saying that they had talked it over and
decided that they thought I might be too negative on their piano. I said I
understood, and recommended that they call other techs in the area, including Mr
Bondi for a second opinion.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would have liked to try to make this piano
better, but I didnt want to disappoint. Reputation over
$$? Can anyone out there make me feel either better or worse
for "losing this business"?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dave Smith</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>SW FL</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>