Jim, A few months ago, I pitch-raised and tuned a Betsy Ross spinet and replaced the one elbow that had broken - middle C (ask me why they called). I let the owner know that more would break soon and she could either pay my minimum service fee every time one or two broke or she could hire me to replace the whole set. I'll do it either way. I told her that I would be very careful to not pound in the tuning (pin setting is done entirely with the tuning hammer hand) but that if any break during the tuning, she would be responsible for the repair cost. When a couple more broke last month, she did the math and called me to replace the whole set. The nice part about this job, especially if time is a factor, is that the customer can help if they are so inclined. I showed this one how to grab the drop lifter wires with the vicegrips and remove and replace the elbows while I crunched the old plastic out of the wips. Forgot about leaning the piano against the wall, though, which would have been easier on the back. Tom Jlovekeys@AOL.COM wrote: > > Dear list, Perhaps some of you could give some advice on my situation. > Recently a customer called and said some of her notes were broken. After > asking a few questions, I realized that she had an old spinet with the > disentegrating elbow syndrome... -- Thomas A. Cole, RPT Santa Cruz, CA mailto:tcole@cruzio.com
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