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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Yes, I misunderstood. I don't think any good technician
should take someone's good money to try and fix a <STRONG><U>dead</U></STRONG>
piano. I generally don't work on spinets, but just this week I took one in
because the woman said her late husband gave it to her as an anniversary gift
and she wanted to play it again before she died. It is repairable and tunable.
How could I turn down this request?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Al Guecia</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=anrebe@sbcglobal.net href="mailto:anrebe@sbcglobal.net">Andrew and
Rebeca Anderson</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, April 11, 2008 10:46
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Clunker pianos - what do you
do?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Well Al,<BR>Maybe we mean different things when we say
"clunker". <BR><BR>The case I was called on involved a "family-heirloom"
that spent 20 some odd years out in the barn. It had been infested with
some kind of wood eating bug as a bunch of the keys had flopped over and the
key pins had nothing to bed in. A lot of the action was flopping too,
wood (missing) and glue joint issues. More then half the strings where
broken, I tried lowering one out of curiosity and it broke too. South
Texas weather is brutal to glue joints and everything glued (case,
hammer-felt, etc.) was coming apart. You could push a pencil through the
cracks in the soundboard.<BR><BR>I suggested that I knew of other used
instruments that where for-sale at a reasonable price. They weren't
interested. I gently pointed out that there was no foundation on which
to make this an instrument and they still insisted. I quoted them $8000
to make it an instrument again and they were offended. 'Nuff said.
(Don't ask for that quote again because I don't think it is enough
anymore.)<BR><BR>On the other hand I was called out to give a bid to restore a
piano for local businessman's daughter who decided she wanted to learn
piano. I looked at what apparently was an old English cottage industry
piano. It had an open pinblock with large cracks running from pin to
pin, some more than half the length of the piano. The strings were very
rusty. Felt glue joints were coming apart. The action was mounted
by a wood toggle to the case on each end and swayed in the middle. About
two thirds of the action actually would activate with the keys. I asked
him how much it cost him, $500. Ouch! I asked him what his budget
was. $600. I discussed the quality range this piano was in brand
new and what condition it was in now. I pointed out to him that it
simply wasn't tunable and then pointed to the failing glue joints and he said,
"Yeah, they said it was on their open back porch for only a short
time."<BR><BR>I told him that even if I could get everything to kind-of
function that this piano would be a barrier to the learning progress not a
vehicle of learning. I suggested his remaining budget was much better
spend on one of the digital pianos that was for sale at a local store and that
this digital piano would get his daughter half-way through elementary piano
but that in three to four years she would need a real piano and he would need
to save up to purchase something in the three to four thousand dollar
range. I suggested that if he was interested in another used piano to
give me a call first. He thanked me for my candor. He said that he
appreciated that I didn't just take his money like another technician offered
to do and "produce something that would be miserable to play." (Never
mind not tunable.) He paid me more than I asked for driving all the way
out there to look at it and four free flat-tire repair coupons.<BR><BR>Someone
is bringing dead pianos down here to Laredo and fast talking people into
buying fixer-uppers. They are invariably dead wrecks. There word
is getting out by word of mouth not to buy from him but I still get called out
to look at them occasionally. I still cringe at the high prices he is
getting for them.<BR><BR>I service plenty of older pianos that need a little
voicing, reg. key leveling etc. that I get to work on little by little at each
appointment.<BR><BR>I have a businessman friend who decided to get into the
used piano business on the side and I send customers to him because I've seen
the pianos and they are serviceable.<BR><BR>YMMV,<BR>Andrew Anderson<BR><BR>At
06:35 AM 4/11/2008, you wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">Andrew Anderson wrote:<BR>"Not a
customer I wanted to have"<BR> <BR>Not a technician I would
want!<BR> <BR>Al Guecia<BR> <BR>
<DL>
<DD>----- Original Message ----- <BR>
<DD>From:</B> <A href="mailto:anrebe@sbcglobal.net">Andrew and Rebeca
Anderson</A> <BR>
<DD>To:</B> <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A> <BR>
<DD>Sent:</B> Thursday, April 10, 2008 8:24 PM<BR>
<DD>Subject:</B> Re: Clunker pianos - what do you do?<BR><BR>
<DD>Most of the time I get called to rescue a clunker because it was
bought with the intention of inflicting it on a budding piano
student. That is something I don't choose to be a part of.
They thought they could get a piano on the cheap and I show them that they
wasted their money and suggest that they stop the hemorrhaging before it
gets any worse. <BR><BR>
<DD>Occasionally I do get the "but we want it anyway" spiel and then I do
quote what it would take to do it right, eight to ten Gs and they usually
get angry. Not a customer I wanted to have.<BR><BR>
<DD>Andrew Anderson<BR><BR>
<DD>At 03:51 PM 4/10/2008, you wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">
<DD>Hi Andrew<BR>
<DD> I also give this advice....<BR>
<DD> However, your definition of value may be different than the
clients. We ascribe values in many ways other than money..Know
what I mean? <BR>
<DD>ie. It's Grandmas piano...It has potential. It'll sound better
than the new bright shinies out there & yes it needs 10 K of
work...Is it worth it on the open market when done. Probably
not...Do they care....Probably not. Advise them & then let
them make their own choices. There grown ups after all.<BR><BR>
<DD> Dale<BR><BR><BR><BR>
<DD>Michelle, <BR>
<DD>I have a simple rule-of-thumb. If the cost of my work far exceeds
the potential value of the piano I refuse to take the job. <BR>
<DD><BR>
<DD>Andrew Anderson <BR>
<DD><BR>
<HR>
<DD>Get the <A
href="http://www.mapquest.com/toolbar?NCID=mpqmap00030000000003">MapQuest
Toolbar</A>, Maps, Traffic, Directions & More!
</DD></BLOCKQUOTE></DD></DL></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>