CA vs Loose Pins

[Frank Cahill]

Richard and John,

what do you do when someone can't afford a new piano?  Despite the fact that I live
in  perhaps the most affluent part of the USA, not everyone has the money for a new
piano.  When the home is modest and so are its contents, it's a good bet that a new
piano is out of the question.

In most cases, these people had to scrimp to get the junk that they have!!!!!

I have no problem with the CA fix.  People are happy that I can buy them some time.
I tell them it is a Band-Aid, and may only last a few years. I tell them that the
piano is at the end of it's useful life...no lies, just the truth. Then it's the
customer's decision.

Does this hurt the industry? NO!  Look at it this way. If these people cannot afford
a new piano and the junker can't be fixed, they will not be playing ANY piano.
There goes another future purchaser of a new piano.  What is important is to get
these folks playing. In time, they will upgrade. I've seen it more than once.

I feel that I am doing these folks a big favor.

Would I perform this repair on a quality grand? NO! But I don't hesitate on a cheap
vertical. This fix has always worked for me.

I realize that some techs work ONLY on grands. I can't be that selective.  Most of
my clients are beginning pianists with very low-end pianos. They almost always say
"this is good enough for a beginner. If she/he keeps playing, I want to get a better
piano."

As for myself, there is no way I'd buy my 9 yr old a new piano if I could fix it
with CA...not if she were just starting.  In truth, she has been playing about 4 or
5 years, and I just purchased a new KAWAI vertical to replace my 80 yr old STEIFF.

Just some opposing thoughts gentlemen.Gotta keep people thinking. Thanks for your
time.





Richard Brekne wrote:

> I couldnt aggree more with you. Nice posting. My experience concurs with your
> statements. Lets face it.. half way is half way. Sometimes I guess thats all you
> can convince a customer to go along with, and you are left with a choice.. do it
> half way.. or walk away... grin.. you all know what I generally do..
>
> Richard Brekne
> I.C.P.T.G.  N.P.T.F.
> Bergen, Norway
>
> "Piesik, John (JPIESIK)" wrote:
>
> > Dear List,
> >
> > Last month I requested info on CA glue for loose tuning pins. It's only fair
> > that I report the results, especially to those who thoughtfully responded.
> > And the results are: it worked, and it didn't work. It appears that, in my
> > opinion, CA glue can pull you out of a "slippy" situation, sometimes. A
> > couple of the pins I tried it on were so loose that the CA glue was not
> > effective. Thus, I muted those strings that wouldn't tune, got my client
> > through her Christmas party, and recommended that the next step is a
> > replacement or rebuild.
> >
> > Now, following are some comments, my opinions, of course, regarding this
> > matter:
> >
> > When a piano is in need of CA glue on more than a few tuning pins, it's in
> > need of a lot more than just CA glue. I would not recommed CA gluing or
> > doping an entire pinblock - I shudder at the thought - although, I know some
> > folks do, and that's fine for them. I've learned that there are many ways to
> > skin a cat in this business, but, to me, some cats are best left alone. (In
> > order to buy a little more time in an emergency, on a few pins at best,
> > then, CA glue may be the ticket. And, there are other ways to solve a loose
> > tuning pin problem, too!) But, let's face it, doping an entire pinblock is a
> > bandaid fix.
> >
> > It's a funny thing that in the last month I've encountered two more pianos
> > (grands) that are not holding tension due to loose pins. I admit I CA glued
> > two pins on a Yamaha gray-market piano to "buy some more time", but the
> > other was just too far gone. In these cases, I recommended replacement or
> > have them rebuilt (preferably with new PBs). It's apparent that I'm running
> > into increasingly more pianos with "loose pin" troubles (are you?). I don't
> > think that this is some kind of coincidence, either, and here's why. Many
> > pianos were sold to/for boomers during the 50s, 60s and 70s. The condition
> > of these pianos, coming from the historical height of US piano sales, due to
> > the pianos ages, is now starting to deteriorate (the pianos are now over 30
> > years old). I am not a rebuilder, but, I would bet dollars to donuts that
> > the piano rebuilding business is going to see a flurry of new work in the
> > very near future - if it hasn't already begun. And piano sales will continue
> > to increase with even more vigor. (I would someday like to have a shop and
> > become a rebuilder; it's very rewarding work. And, there are not enough good
> > rebuilders - there seems to be plenty of room for more. The Aerospace
> > industry has a similar problem with more talent leaving or retiring and not
> > enough good talent coming in - but that's a whole other story.)
> >
> > Bandaids only hold for so long, then they fall off. Doping pinblocks is a
> > bandaid. Our clients, and thus the piano industry as a whole, in my opinion,
> > would benefit from either recommending a new piano or a rebuilt piano
> > instead of applying a bandaid to a piano beginning its dying cough. It's up
> > to us to gently guide our clients to the right decision. The fact is, all of
> > us are going to be encountering more and more of these untunable pianos. Do
> > we squirt CA glue into them and cross our fingers, or do we recommend a new
> > purchase or a rebuild? The bandaid approach, I think, hurts everyone. The
> > later recommendation has obvious benefits for our industry, at least in my
> > mind.
> >
> > What do you think?
> >
> > Warmest Regards,
> >
> > John Piesik, RPT
> > Piesik's Piano Service
> > Oceanside, CA
> > (760) 726-4665
> > jpiesik@arinc.com
> >
> > P.S. As I'm not subscribed, please copy me in your response:
> > jpiesik@arinc.com

--

Frank Cahill
Associate Member, Piano Technicians Guild
Northern Va