Modifications

[Jim_Harvey@yca.ccmail.compuserve.com]

     Keith/group,

     I'd like to use this reply a bridge to another current thread --
     hence the subject change. These thoughts are mine, and are
     'interdenominational' in scope.

     I don't have the threads handy. They'd be too long anyway. To
     summarize, there are several messages regarding what is modified
     on a piano (keys, hammers, actions) by technicians; versus what
     is considered acceptable under terms of warranty by
     manufacturers; versus what is considered potential breaches of
     warranty.

     I feel more at liberty to speak to this as a *former*
     manufacturer's representive than perhaps those who's tax
     withholding is presently done for them.

     Consider that most manufacturer's technical representatives are
     desk jockies who are trying to diagnose and resolve a given
     situation over the telephone. Their only input is what they are
     being told (and sometimes what is not being said) by the person
     on the other end of the line. When a given problem is reported,
     they go down a (mental or otherwise) checklist of what
     circumstances cause a given phenomenon. Their responses are based
     on composite knowledge of *many* examples of a given, but
     otherwise *stock* product.

     If a product has been modified, it skews and complicates the
     diagnostics process, and can result in negative relations
     between manufacturers, dealers, technicians and owners. In this
     case, we'll use this handy example of stringing braid,
     regardless of how innocent it may appear to be.

     I have been the desk jockey, trying to diagnose/remedy what was
     called "strange noises", "ghosting", or other unofficial
     descriptors. Other times, I've tried to resolve situations
     involving tuning instability, where customary causes have been
     explored and eliminated.

     In some instances, the actual cause turned out to be where
     someone had removed the stringing braid from all or part of the
     taped sections. In all of my cases, the owner was unaware that
     their instrument had been modified. Sometimes mods had been made
     arbitrarily by a prior technician. Other times it originated at
     the dealership, prior to the piano ever being sold. It was later
     found that on at least one dealer's store, the braid was being
     removed on a wholesale basis -- from every piano on the floor,
     without regard to warranty or ramifications. The dealer
     *personally* preferred the results.

     In addition to making diagnostics more difficult, I maintain that
     some instruments, in spite of appearances, were not designed to
     support duplexing. More importantly, there are owners who are not
     ready for the phenomenon of duplexing, whether by design or
     modification, and regardess of the opinions of others.

     My point? We're all aware that any operation performed on a piano
     will effect some other area, positively or otherwise. Because of
     this, we have the responsibility of not only observing (as Keith
     has done here), but discussing certain matters with our clients,
     even if it means using a *lot* of words, prior to making changes
     to otherwise "stock" instruments.

     Slightly off topic, but in my pipe dreams, I've always wished for
     a reliable method of tracking what is done to pianos -- a device
     whereby a technician could annotate items of significance to any
     that follow, and something that would stay *with* the piano
     forever. Japanese pianos created for [their] domestic sales have
     the "tuning" card holder tacked to the side of the case. A
     variation of this would qualify for the tracking method I have in
     mind. Too bad this is not OEM equipment for all pianos. Of
     course, any tracking method can be abused.

     Thanks for your tolerance/Jim Harvey RPT

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Based on what you indicated, it seems to me that someone could change the
voice on these particular instruments to some degree by removing all or
parts of the stringing braid.