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<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>First thing I do, is tune to
pitch.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>If the piano can't go to pitch without string
breakage, then, none of the other work should be done.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>If there is string breakage, then a restring is
indicated. For 100 cents down, bring to pitch in one step, then tune again. For
an older piano, with rusty strings, I would not overpull.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>If you restring, be sure to ream, then use
new oversize pins.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>If the customer thinks that the cost is too much,
then do strings this year, next year do the hammers and
dampers.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Mind you they might prefer to do the key job after
the strings, as this 'looks' better.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>John Ross<BR>Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada<BR><A
href="mailto:jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca">jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca</A></DIV>
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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=toddpianoworks@att.net href="mailto:toddpianoworks@att.net">Matthew
Todd</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, June 20, 2008 5:47 AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Cracked Apron</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Hi List,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I gave my client an estimate for repairs for her upright she bought
from a private party for $100. The repairs include new keytops, bushings
(both rails), new hammers and damper felts. The piano is also 100+ cents
flat. This is the piano with the cracked apron.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Before I do any work, should I begin with giving it several pitch raises
and tunings to see if it'll hold? The problem with that is that several
of the keys do not work right because they need new bushings. So, should
I commence with the keys first and then tune it? I just thought about
the customer paying hundreds of dollars for key work, and then hundreds more
for pitch raises and tunings to find the piano won't hold the tune. But
then, how can I tune it well when the keys don't work right.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>On one of the keys, the shank is broken at the butt, so I'll need to
repair that first. And as far as replacing the hammers and damper felt,
that could be done very last.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I was just wondering about whether to do the keys first, or tune it
first. I thought maybe ya'll could tell with a few "rough" pitch raises
whether the piano will hold.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The strings are rusted, and the customer is aware of the risk involved
here.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thanks,</DIV>
<DIV>Matthew</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>