A terrible piano

[kam544@flash.net]

>...I would have sworn
>I was tuning a 75 year old Hardman upright...
>Patrick Greene

Hey, watch how you throw that name around there, pardner...  :)

I picked up a 1909 Hardman grand (about 5' 8") about a week ago that looked
like the pits for all practical purposes, has multiple cracks in the
soundboard, definite bearing problems in places, action regulation highly
irregular, pedal lyre loose as a goose, action shifts to the left, chipped
keytops, tuning pin solution stains abound, about every reason on earth to
trash the thing, or do a complete rebuild ... but with a name like Hardman?

For the fun of it, I installed some used Tokiwa shanks and Abel hammers
that were removed from a Steinway D.  Did some rough regulation ... very
rough ... and man, does it put out like no piano I've ever met ... just
unbelievable.

It defies all known piano technology I've learned.  Just blows me away the
magic sensation it gives when I play it.  I'm going to do as little as
possible to not lose that mystique.

So watch how you throw that name around there, pardner...  :)

Keith McGavern
Registered Piano Technician
Oklahoma Chapter 731
Piano Technicians Guild
USA