steinway

[Wimblees@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 98-11-11 20:31:42 EST, you write:

<< To my knowledge the owner of the Steinway store has still not had a
 technician look at this piano.  The other competitor she called is on this
 list.  So what my question is, is this.  It used to be said that Steinway
 would not rebuild their own instruments older than 50.  I'm thinking now
 that me this was never so.  If it was and is, when did that policy change?.
 I wonder how piano store owners can accumulate all this much more knowledge
 than technicians and come out as the ultimate authority.  This whole deal is
 starting to smell to me.  What do you think.
 James Grebe >>


Jim:

I did look at the piano, and I recommend that the piano get a new pin block
and strings, and be refinished. I find water had dripped on a part of the pin
area, and that not only would the strings rust, but if enough water had gotten
into the pin block, it would be effected. As far as the finish, I told the
lady that we could refinsih just the parts that were damaged, but the rest of
the piano would not look the same. She never questioned me about it. The other
thing that needs to be done is the keys cleaned and polished. I don't think
they need to be rebushed. 

She talked to me at great lenghts about the value of the piano, and if it was
worth restoring, as oposed to buying a new one. I told her that if she wanted
to spend the extra money to buy a new one, she would have that option, but
that it would be much less expensive to restore this piano, and she would have
an excellent intrument. And besides, I told her, the insurance company would
never pay for a new piano. The value of the piano, in my opinion, before the
damage was about $10,000, and that after the repairs are made, would be around
$15,000. I told her the piano would be worth around $3500 in its current
condition. As I was leaving she told me the Steinway dealer had stopped by and
told her the piano was totaled, and that she needed to buy a new piano. She
did not appear to want to do that. 

Willem