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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I'm coming into this =
without
reading the other posting, which I should do, but I had to write this =
without
being influenced first. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> These people aren't =
hurting, are
they? You basically have to tell them the truth about their "free" =
piano. After
all, you're the expert. Tell them that you don't want to see them =
wasting their
money on keeping this thing going. It's like buying a house that needs =
three
times the purchase price put back into it to keep it from falling down. =
Not a
bargain by any means. Tell them that some less scrupulous tuners would =
be more
than happy to keep coming back time after time, but that you just can't =
see them
throwing their money down a hole on this instrument. If they like to =
keep track
of their money, they'll appreciate you trying to save them =
some.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">Farrell</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> Saturday, February 09, =
2002 12:32
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Junk Pianos</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Forgive me, I know this has been said before, but the =
time has
arisen again.<BR><BR>Why is it so hard to throw out a junk piano? Why =
is it
they stay around soooo long? People throw cars out when they are 10 =
years old.
Why not pianos?<BR><BR>I tuned a 1960s Aeolian spinet the other day =
for a new
client. Hammer cores without hammer felt (didn't sound any worse than =
the ones
with felt), some hammers replaced with big bass hammers in the tenor, =
some
hammer felts held on with thread. Loose tuning pins pounded down so =
that the
coil was imbedded in the plate, BAD false beats in the tenor, big-time =
bobbling hammers, let-off at 3/4", hammers so worn they have 1/2" wide =
flat
contact surface. I could go on and on.......you've seen them. Just =
holding
together with thread and tape. This thing plays and sounds as bad as =
any of
them.<BR><BR>Two children are taking lessons and practice on this
junker.<BR><BR>This piano is in a new development. Estimate $200,000 =
home. New
beautiful furniture everywhere. Giant screen TV built into 2-story =
marble wall
- along with home theatre sound system. Polished granite kitchen. Two =
$40,000+
SUVs sitting in driveway. One with all the add-on lights, iron front =
grilles,
etc. for when she has to cross the Himalayas on her way to the grocery =
store.
And in the midst of all this is this "free" beat-up dysfunctional crud =
piano.
What gives?<BR><BR>They will toss the SUV when it gets a rip in the =
padded
leather seat, but they will subject their children to this =
dysfunctional pile
of junk.<BR><BR>End of rant..............for now.<BR><BR>Terry
Farrell<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>