bridge problem

[Ron Nossaman]

Hi Leslie,

*If* the piano looks structurally sound enough and the strings look to be in
good enough shape to take the pitch raise, and *If* you can get the old
bridge out without tearing the whole piano up, it would be just as easy (or
hard, as the case may be) to make a new one. I think there were a couple of
pretty good descriptions of both repair and replacement processes posted
about three months ago. Check the archives and get back if you need further
clarification. Repair would be pretty much as you described, except when you
try to get clamps in there and discover the ancient and universal axiom...
"The tools you got, ain't the tools you need". I'd keep the old bass strings
if they weren't too dead. Try a few on the repaired/replaced bridge and see
how they sound. The piano won't be much better for the money spent on string
replacement, and you will be pulling those new ones up to pitch for the next
two years and answering questions about why it won't stay in tune since you
"rebuilt" it. BTW, how old is it? 

Ron

At 10:28 AM 5/2/98 -0500, you wrote:
>List
>	I went to tune a Storey and Clark spinet today, finding it about
>150 cents flat. It had thuddy bass strings, and several which had a bad
>buzz- caused by a major split in the bridge.  The split, about five
>inches long, probably  close to an eighth of an inch wide,was  enough
>that I could remove bridge pins with my finger. The strings had moved
>because of this broken bridge, the old lines indicating where the strings
>had been being very clear.  The break is along the line of the top bridge
>pins.
>	I suggested the owner come home from work, look at it, and decide
>if he wanted to spend money to fix it.  I've never done one of these, but
>my suspicion is that one would have to remove strings, clamp and glue the
>bridge, then redrill and replace pins. In the process, replacing the bass
>strings would seem obvious since the labor required wouldn't be that much
>more.
>	Opinions, please.
>	Appreciatively,
>
>
>Leslie
>lesbart@juno.com
>"I feel more like I do now than I did when I got here."
>
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 Ron