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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Oh I wish there were some standards for =
the
"rebuilt" piano.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I know this has been covered before, =
but I just got
slapped in the face with it today and it is so fresh in my mind. I can't =
resist.
Delete now if you prefer.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Appointment to tune an "old" piano out =
in the
country - I figured either an old upright or a 1940s Acrosonic spinet.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wrong. About a 1910 Chickering 5' 8" =
grand. Just
rebuilt about 6 years ago. Family heirloom.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Very nice new million-dollar-plus home. =
Nobody
plays the piano. They are hiring a college student pianist to play for =
an
upcoming party.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"Rebuild" consisted of =
the all-too-common
minimum - case refinish, plate refinish, new strings (wound =
tricords and
all), new tuning pins (various heights and many loose string coils - and =
the
damn becket end sticking out a half inch), new damper felt (twice =
as wide
as the damper heads, of course), new hammers (at every angle under the
sun) and new keytops. That's it. Nothing else.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The keytops weren't too =
bad.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The action had not been regulated. New =
hammers, and
not regulated. Original key bushings so worn that they allow =
keys to
bang into one another. Key level all over the place. All original front =
rail
paper and felt punchings (no doubt center rail also)! Original worn out
backchecks (yup, and new hammers). Original shank/flange/knuckles - =
knuckles are
like little squares (let-off is definitely an "event"). Soundboard =
cracked to
smithereenes. Original cracked bridge cap with original pins. This =
piano is
almost completely devoid of sound - it is soooooo quiet. Talk about a =
killer
octave - this thing has a killer keyboard - 88 of 'em. The entire high =
treble
section hasn't one string that rings - the best ones sound like a little =
electric wire shorting out - zszszszsszszszszt! The action is as slow =
and mushy
and heavy as any trash action I have run across.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I asked the lady if the rebuilder =
talked to
her about rebuild task options - she said no - she just told the guy to =
do
everything that it needed. She paid $7K - a little high for the work =
done - but
that's not the point. The lady wanted a piano that worked well. She got
a decent-looking 600 lb. cow pie.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I didn't say anything else to her. But =
I sure
wanted to. Is there some way to tell her what a crap piano she =
has?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Then I went to a funeral home in a poor =
neighborhood of Tampa. Tuned a typical crap little 1960s Aeolian =
spinet -
fair bit of wear, about a dozen universal bass strings, etc., etc. With
absolutely no exaggeration, that Aeolian spinet was easily more =
than ten
times the musical instrument than the Chickering grand. The spinet =
played way
better, it sounded way better, it was 10 times louder, the treble =
actually rang
a little. Think about it. That is amazing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial =
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If I ever service that grand again I'm =
going to
bring my Lowell gauge and crown-measuring string and try to figure out =
how a
piano could possibly sound that bad.
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sorry. End of rant. I was just so blown =
away by the
crap work done on the grand and this contrast between the two
pianos.</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry =
Farrell</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>