[Fwd: [NAMESU] Question from Hawaii--Piano Rebuilding]

[Fred S. Sturm]

Following is the response I sent along to my previous post:

Rebuilding is generally defined as the replacement of parts, on any of
several levels:
    The simplest is "action rebuilding" which may range from replacing
hammers, shanks and flanges and rebushing keys to replacement of all
action parts and replacement of the entire keyboard, with possible
changes in geometry if that seems warranted for some reason.
    For the remainder of the piano, one would begin with a restring,
using the existing pinblock (probably with oversized tuning pins) as the
most minor, proceeding to pinblock replacement, bridge
repairs/recapping/replacment, soundboard repairs or replacement.
    In other words, there is a vast array of meanings that can be
attached to the phrase "rebuilding a piano." It must be defined. Hence,
the institution seeking bids needs first to have a consulting technician
evaluate the pianos and determine the extent of work needed for each. So
the first step is to find a qualified and trustworthy technician to act
in an advisory - or perhaps supervisory - capacity.
    As for the question of how to define what I will describe as an
"acceptable quality outcome" (which is what I will interpret by
excellent voicing), I don't believe contractual language will help you
there. Voicing is very much dependent on every step of the rebuilding
process. Assuming a fairly major rebuild, it will involve
1) a good selection of action parts
2) a good selection of hammers
3) meticulously assembled and aligned parts
4) excellent regulation
5) meticulously bushed and prepared keys
6) meticulous attention to termination points prior to restringing
(agraffes, capo d'astro bar, bridges)
7) well-leveled strings
8) hammers meticulously mated to strings
    I could go on, but want to give a flavor of what is involved, even
if the individual terms don't all mean much to you. In the final
analysis, a skilled rebuilder must be found, someone you can trust to
produce an acceptable outcome based on experience. I would recommend
limiting bidding to rebuilders who can demonstrate their skill by
referring jobs that they have done - send not only a pianist, but a
technician to look at examples of their workmanship before allowing them
to bid. Skill levels of rebuilders vary immensely.
    I don't know any technicians in Hawaii, but would suggest a good
place to begin is by finding Registered Piano Technician members of the
Piano Technicians Guild (look on the web page www.ptg.org). Hawaii being
so isolated, choices may be limited. If adequate skill can't be found on
the islands, it might be necessary to deal with mainland shops - there
are many excellent rebuilders on the California coast. It might be wise
to have one or two pianos rebuilt and see if the results are
satisfactory before contracting for all of them.
Hope this helps,
Fred Sturm