words technical w/piano question

Ron Nossaman RNossaman@cox.net
Fri, 31 Jan 2003 14:47:15 -0600


>Hi Ron, List,
>There is a company in Georgia which makes a reasonably priced grand piano
>lyre substitute for breaking down a grand piano.  Perhaps it is time to
>begin recommending (demanding?) this 4th leg for all piano movers.  Just a
>steel stand which they claim will not slip out.

Hi Jeff,
Demanding would be good for a laugh. After 20 years of minimal to no 
maintenance, much less the badly needed rebuilding, they only have maybe 
three marginally usable pianos of the twenty in the building. For the nine 
years I've tuned for them, I've pointed out twice a year that one day soon, 
they will find themselves out of options as well as pianos, looking at 
replacing or rebuilding a bunch of instruments at once. No money. Every 
year, the pianos get worse and the money gets less. Last year, they called 
me with a copy of a nine year old estimate I had made them for last-ditch 
stall until it can be done right work on one of the Masons. They quoted me 
back the price I had indicated then. The piano is now too far gone for 
anything but total rebuilding without even getting into the nine year old 
price. They didn't like that. No money. This round, they decided they had 
money to tune seven pianos of the twenty, and the lyre repair cost them a 
couple of tunings worth. Somehow, I doubt that a tilter is in the cards.

Ron N


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