Due for a Rebuild?

[John Musselwhite]

>Would the experience of this august body find it unusual that a '75 Steinway
>B would be ready for a restring with o'sized pins. No extentuating
>circumstances, although I did drive the pins 5 years ago. Is a restring after
>20 years unheard of?

        Why do you have to restring it?  I've done bass strings (and pins)
on Steinways that new because they were damaged, but never _had_ to restring
the whole piano if nothing has happened to it. Not that I'm fond of
repinning with old strings...

        Pins are another story. Up until a few years ago Steinway only used
one size of pin in their new pianos and there often were some (or many)
which were looser than they should be. You may find two different sizes on
some now or find a larger pin through the whole piano. You'll also find some
new ones with incredibly tight pins. At the convention in Toronto some years
back Steinway brought in a new D with pins so tight I was tempted to use an
impact wrench on it!

        On a 1978 D I look after at the Jubilee Auditorium here I've had to
repin the middle section and the low bass as well as the odd one here or
there, but that was all. I keep oversized pins with the becket hole drilled
out to a larger size just for doing the first couple of notes because they
do seem to loosen up faster, possibly because they are at the end of the
block. BTW, the '78 has only broken two strings in the high treble since it
was new.

        At least it doesn't pop bass agraffes like the '56 does... One of
these days if the govt. releases some money that one will get new bass
strings and agraffes. After one broke _just_ before a performance last year
I don't trust it anymore. Of course, that was after Harry Connick Jr. had
played it and broke the pedal lyre right off _during_ the performance!
Harry made jokes about my rear-end sticking out from under the instrument
while I fixed it (by lifting the keybed with my back and slipping a couple
of pieces of plywood under the lyre). Harry doesn't _need_ the pedals, but
his accompanist was lost without them. BTW, when I asked his road manager
what "flavour" of tuning Harry likes he thought for a second and said
"boysenberry"!

        John


John Musselwhite, RPT               Calgary, Alberta Canada
musselj@cadvision.com       john.muselwhite@67.cambo.cuug.ab.ca