<HTML><HTML>In a message dated 1/22/2004 10:47:= 43 AM Eastern Standard Time, Erwinspiano@aol.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT= : 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">  My criteria for a= greeing to take on these projects is that the boards must still sing &no= t seriously cracked up &that basically a very good musical &aestheti= c outcome can be assured. If the piano is a train wreck I don't take the job= &I tell them the truth. Nothing marginal. been there done that & it= 's no fun.   It's true (at least in Ca) that perhaps one in twenty uprights= is worth doing in the musical sense but none except the Steinway is worth d= oing in the financial value sense. Make cents? Any way, despite my disclaime= r statements to the client (prior to rebuilding) as to its Monetary worth af= ter rebuilding, which is that it wouldn't probably retail for half what they= had in it they still choose to do it. The reasons are: Family piano, we lik= ed the old look and sound. It sound better than the new pianos. The case is = gorgeous. They'll never make these again etc.   That's it. I guess there's folks with money &a different s= at of priorities out there willing to do this. Oh yeah I love these  Pi= anos man.  </BLOCKQUOTE> Hi ho, listers. I don't do too many, but I'm just getting started on an Ivers and Pond (circ= a 1900). I tried everything I could think of to get out of this one. It is p= romising, but very difficult. The piano has been in "water up to the knees" = more than once, so I have alot of replacing of wood on the bottom end to do.= The rest of the piano is pretty good for the age, and the owner doesn't rea= lly care how it sounds. He is more concerned with looks and the "family" att= achment it has. The piano was orginally purchased new by his dad. When mom a= nd dad got married circa 1910, the piano was "hocked" so they could afford t= o go on a honeymoon. They did manage to get it back later and the current ow= ner wants to pass it along (with the story) to his grand kids. Just one of those things I guess! will wickham (writing from beneath a pile of old felt and ivory) </HTML>