Ron Nossaman wrote: > > > Well, perhaps I'm just a heathen, but I don't think there is all that much > of an ethical side to the process, any more than in Team Toyota's entry in > the Baja not remotely resembling anything the customer can purchase in the > showroom. In the case of the piano, it's being done with the customer's > blessing, and the hope of improving performance over what the "stock" > hardware capable of, so I really don't see a problem. Then again, it seems > like a shame to see the piano manufacturer get the credit for the higher > performance level if the tech produces a better piano redesigned and > remanufactured, than it originally was. Where does ethics come down on that > issue? > Actually, I would (from an ethics point of view) have no problem per se' with this kind of re-designing of an old piano. But I know many who do. There are guys and gals out there who believe that replaceing anything that is not absolutely neccesarry simply ruins the instrument. They place a particular emphasis on the historic value of such instruments. I can understand this.. but then on the other hand we do have a lot of museums around already. grin... > > Limiting factors would be the rim construction (material, method), shape and > solidity, plate configuration (as you mentioned, including scale breaks, > thickness, hitch pin placement, and such), dimensions of the action cavity > in case you had to re engineer the action from something weird to something > more standard, The customer's (remarkable) faith in your ability to do the > job, your own (hopefully realistic) faith in your ability to do the job, and > enough of the customer's money to do the job. Not necessarily in that order. > Oh yes, the technician's lack of good judgement, or attention to detail, in > accepting, planning, and pricing a job like this can make the rest of the > process even more interesting. > > It wasn't my intention to imply that this couldn't, generally, be done. > Del's been doing this very thing for some time, and I've gotten into it in > the last couple of years. Yes, it is quite possible to build an entirely > new, and sometimes dramatically better, piano in an existing carcass. It's > also WAY more fun than normal restorative rebuilding, but a bit more > stressful too. My comments about the Broadwood meant just what I said. > Restringing it won't make it into a modern piano, no matter what the > customer wishes. Trying to remanufacture it into a modern piano would, like > Dale indicated, probably be more trouble, and cost more money, than it is > worth for what you would get out of it. Not everything is a good candidate > for this kind of work. Too often, we discover these things the hard way. > > Ron N Thanks for your thoughts. Might be fun to try this someday.. when (if ever) I get that far along.. grin. Richard Brekne I.C.P.T.G. N.P.T.F. Bergen, Norway
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC