Reactionary curmudgeon vs: "snuggles"

[Larry J. Messerly]

Hi Bill, 
I'm responding to my earlier post so that I can add to it.
1. PTG does have standards though not "official".  Check out the Tuning
and Technical Exam source books for "accepted" practices upon whikch
examinees will be tested.

2.  There is also the PACE lesson plans for tuning and repairs.

3.  We also have the excellent Steve Brady Field Repairs Manual.

This list is an open forum and anyone can contribute or contaminate it. 
Anyone trying to learn piano technology from this list should go to a
neurosurgeon and have their head examined.  

This takes us back to Snuggles.  A technician (not PTG member), who
learned the trade from a correspondance course used Snuggle to soften the
dampers of a piano.  He also "repaired" the cracks on a bass bridge of
this console using epoxy.  Unfortunately he did not remove the action
from the piano and all the dampers rusted to the strings, and he did not
tilt the piano on its back so the epoxy travelled down the tail end of
the string, past the bottom board and solidified just before it reached
the carpet.

The only technician willing to take on correction of this mess was Jim
Coleman, Jr. He did so with an understanding with the owner that they
would sue the person who did this damage.   (He has pictures.) 
Unfortunately they did not continue with the suit because it would have
cost them much more to sue than they would hope to recover.  

What is the answer Bill?  How can these people be removed from a pianos
life?  I don't know.  

Larry
On Wed, 30 Aug 2000 05:53:17 -0700 "Larry J. Messerly"
<prescottpiano@juno.com> writes:
> PTG did confirm support of A-440 as an international standard.  I 
> think
> it was at the Las Vegas International Convention.  Board policy also
> defines rebuilt and reconditioned pianos.
> 
> About standards, I have asked several piano manufactrers about 
> quality
> control standards that they use before pianos are shipped to 
> dealers. 
> They usually laugh and say something to the effect that if a dealer 
> wants
> it and it fits into the crate, it goes out the door.
> 
> Larry Messerly, RPT
> > 
> > Do you think that just one standard, say, - that "pianos should be 
> 
> > tuned to 
> > A=440cps" could ever be adopted by PTG as an organization? I 
> > seriously doubt 
> > it. If it could be done, however, they might build upon it until 
> > there was a 
> > quite reasonable standard of practice, and of what is unethical 
> > practice, and 
> > of what is deleterious practice. Wouldn't that be great!
> > 
> > 
> > Thanks for your response,
> > 
> > Bill Simon
> > Phoenix