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

[Richard West]

Fred:

PTG does have some official definitions that have been written down. 
 PTG Board Policies states:

Rebuilt Piano Definition: A used piano that has been disassembled, 
inspected, and repaired as necessary with replacement of all worn or 
deteriorated parts, re-assembled, tested, and approved to at least the 
same tolerances as a new piano of like manufacture.

Reconditioned Piano Definition: A used piano that has been put back in 
good condition by cleaning, repairing and adjusting for maximum 
performance with replacement parts where specifically indicated.


These might be good starting points in addition to what you have written.

Richard West



Fred S. Sturm wrote:

>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
>
>_______________________________________________
>caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
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