In a message dated 3/14/99 8:07:46 AM !!!First Boot!!!, gnewell@EN.COM writes: << Are there situations in which the damage is just smell and an over the counter spray or neutralizer would do it? I hope you all can see my point here. Thanks for reading. >> One of the reasons a car is "totaled" after an accident, is because the repairs are more than the car was worth before it was damaged. The same is true for a piano. If a PSO is damaged because of a fire, or whatever, the insurance company will ask: "What was the value of the instrument before the accident? And how much will it cost to repair the instrument? What will the value be after the repairs have been made? If the customer has "replacement value" insurance, the insurance company is obligated to buy a new piano if the cost of repairing is more than then the cost of a new piano of comparable quality. In other words, if a 1912 4'8" Vose grand is burned, a comparable new piano would be a Samick or similar brand. The cost of completely restoring the Vose would be around $10,000. For less than that you can buy a new Samick. If it was a 1912 Steinway B, it is obviously cheaper to restore it. If the customer don't have replacement value insurance, then the insurance company will ask what the value was of the instrument before the fire. The 1912 Vose would be worth around $500. The insurance company will give the customer a check for $500, and tell them to go buy another piano. To answer your question directly, regarding the "smell." If all there was wrong was a smell, then perhaps ridding the piano of the smell is enough. But just don't assume the smell is all that is wrong. There has to be a cause for the smell, and covering it up is not going to properly repair the piano. I hope this sort of answers your question. Wim
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