<HTML> In previous post there was a typo- I did not replace all keyframe. I meant to say  replaced all keybed felts. Sorry for the confusion if there was any... Sincerely, Greg Torres Gregory Torres wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE>Les, Glad to see you posting on the list. FWIW, I have serviced 2 Beckwith uprights in the last 5 years, one was in really sad shape, but the other was just suffering from neglect and had moth damage to the key felts and needed keytops. I pitch raised from -200 cents, installed a set of Vagias simulated ivory tops, replaced all keyframe and filed and voiced the hammers and it became a very nice instrument. I guess there can always be an exception to the rule when it comes to certain pianos. IMHO I think that pianos should always be examined and appraised on an individual basis. Sincerely, Greg Torres Les Smith wrote: > On Thu, 4 Jun 1998, pianoman wrote: > > > > To: pianotech@ptg.org > > > Subject: HELP > > > Date: Thursday, June 04, 1998 4:01 PM > > > > > > Hi All, > > > Just got a call from a moving company from Kansas City, MO.  They need a > > > piano tech to look at a piano in Sikeston, MO to estimate worth of a > > > Beckweth piano.  I told her I would post it on the list and give her a > > call > > > back Fri afternoon.  Any one close or know of someone who is. > > > Thanks, > > > James Grebe > > Hi, Jim: > > This information has been repeated so many times in the past that one > would think that EVERYOONE knew it by now, but such is obviously not > the case. Except for a few higher-quality player pianos built during the > twenties which occasionally are marginally worth rebuilding/restoring to- > day, the Beckwith piano, marketed by Sears through their stores and by > catalog, was an extemely low-quality instrument whose target market was > the occasional, home-pianist who had little talent or formal training, > a tin ear, and--above all--neither the musical understanding, nor adequate > dollars, to purchase something of higher quality--which, in essence, meant > just about ANYTHING else. Except for one of the occasional old player > pianos already mentioned, Beckwith pianos--be they uprights, or grands-- > invariably are NOT worth the time, effort and expense--for either the > technician, or unfortunate owner--to try to rebuild. Simply put, advise > your client to junk that Beckwith clunk and direct their dollars into > either purchasing and/or rebuilding something worthwhile. Attempts to > try to salvage an irredeemable junker are sure to result in disappoint- > ment and financial loss on the part of the owner and frustration and > damage to the reputation of the tech who unwisely advised the ill-fated > project. NO TECHNICIAN needs work that bad. No one. > > Anyone who is attracted by the dollar earning potential of rebuilding > pianos and aspires to be successful at it, has to learn--early on--to > be able to accurately and consistently differentiate piano quality. A > relatively small number of old, "performance-pianos" are actually worth > rebuilding. Most are not. Further, when it comes to so-called commercial > pianos--old, or new, those intended for consumption by the masses-the > uninformed rebuilding of such disposable, limited-lifetime instruments > is largely a waste of time, effort and the owners money. Lastly, there > are a lot of bottom-of-the-barrel pianos floating around out there which > have been--in essence--junkers since day one. The technician who aspires > to  one day do top-flight, performance-piano rebuilding work MUST learn to > be able to distinguish all these various quality pianos from one another. > Consistently. > > Just as technicians constantly work at upgrading their skills, expertise > and knowledge, so too should they work at upgrading the quality of the > instruments on which they work. Which means that if you've already been in > the business for a number of years, you should NOT be wasting your time > working on Beckwiths.. or similar-(no)quality instruments. Similarly, some > technician should have had the guts long ago to honestly inform the owner > of the Beckwith in question the true value and quality of their instru- > ment, and the utter financial folly involved in hauling it around the > country from place to place, probably in the mistaken belief that they > "don't build 'em like that any more". The fact is that they do and such > instruments are found--even today-- with names like Horugel (early > Samicks) and Pearl River. :( > > All of which is not to be construed as a put-down of the Beckwith piano. > They met a market need at the time--specifically that of untalented, un- > trained, musically-unsophisticated amateur pianists of limited financial > means and discernment, who hoped that such an instrument would add kul- > ture--with a capital "K"--to their mundane lives. In the end, it mattered > little that it didn't. Beckwith purchasers never knew the difference. On > the other hand, YOU--the technician--SHOULD! :) > > As i said at the beginning, the foregoing has been common knowledge for > the greater part of this century. > > Just one old tech's opinion, of course! > > Les Smith > lessmith@buffnet.net</BLOCKQUOTE>  </HTML>