<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Wasn't it Don Quixote who jousted with windmills?<div>John Ross</div><div>Windsor,</div><div>Nova Scotia</div><div>P.S. Not that it makes much difference to the spinet. </div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On 07-01-2012, at 2:15 PM, Joseph Garrett wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>John Formsma said: "I have no problem with what Dean says. It's a chunk of<br>lead. In or on a<br>piece of wood.<br><br>But before adding lead of any kind, we should first make sure that is the<br>root problem (as others have already said).<br><br>If lead is needed in the keys, what I would do is give my customers a<br>choice. Either have the leads on the top of the keystick, or in the<br>keystick. Give a price for each method, with pros and cons, and let the<br>customer decide. I don't think the keystick cares either way. :-)<br><br>We all have our preferences. I'd prefer to get the lead in the key because<br>it definitely looks better. But then, I'd also prefer to do minimal work on<br>a spinet since they are low-end pianos to begin with. I'd rather have my<br>customers upgrade to a better piano. And paying to drill and install leads<br>is money that could be spent toward a better piano."<br><br>John, <br>You are such a dreamer.<G> First, you are assuming that the two<br>"modifications" give the same results. They do not!! (see my previou post<br>for specs.) Second, you can count on the majority of the spinet owners will<br>NEVER upgrade! That's a reality in my world. So,...with that in mind, if a<br>tech is able to make a spinet function the way it was ORIGINALLY designed,<br>for a whole lot less than it would cost to buy a "better piano", why not<br>put some real effort into doingit  intelligently, instead of flailing away<br>like Cyrano jousting at windmills???!!! We, as technicians, are<br>knowledgable about the workings  of pianos. Let's use all of that skill and<br>knowledge to improve each and every piano we come to. The only decision the<br>customer should have to make is should the job be done and how much are<br>they willing to pay for a specified outcome. We should not overburden<br>clients as to the specific workings of the piano unless they specifically<br>ask and want to learn it. Few clients want to get that "close" to that much<br>knowledge.<G><br>That's my take on it.<br>Joe<br><br>Joe Garrett, R.P.T.<br>Captain of the Tool Police<br>Squares R I<br><br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>