Frank - I concur.... Mark Potter bases-loaded@juno.com On Thu, 06 Jan 2000 16:16:17 -0500 Frank Cahill <fcahill@erols.com> writes: > 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 > >
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