Peeved in Pennsylvania... (long)

[Brian Trout]

Hi List,

I'm one very, very frustrated technician tonight.  I just got home from
doing a few floor tunings,... I know, I know, it's a weird time to be doing
floor tunings, but it's nice and quiet, no one around, and it's usually very
peaceful...

The last one I did was a new Wurlitzer C143 I think it was.  One of the
el-crapo micro grands...

Well, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary to start off with.  Stuck
in my mute strips and did my normal tuning type thing.  Didn't give any of
it a second thought... until I got about 3/4 of the way through it.  About
B-4 or so, tuning up through the unisons, I noticed a buzz.  I figured a
loose screw somewhere, and I'd fix it when I was done tuning.  Finished
tuning, and started looking for buzzes.  Found several, including the little
round nuts on the key hold down strip, nothing new there.  But it was still
buzzing.  Kept on looking.  Sounded like maybe something sitting on the
soundboard.  So I start thumping around with my fingers, and my fist,
looking for a hint.  Thumped on the plate, and I could hear it.  Kept going
'till I got to the one and only strut support, you know the one where the
top of the support comes up to the bottom of the strut and there's a machine
screw that goes through the strut and screws into the support, which is in
turn screwed into a beam underneath...  Well, I brushed up against the screw
and noticed it moved a bit.  I figured I needed to tighten the screw.  Until
I took a good look.  My heart skipped a few beats when I saw it.  The
support post was 3/4" below the bottom of the strut and about 1/2 inch too
far towards the keybed. The machine screw isn't broken.  It was never put in
right in the first place! Dang!  (That's the nicest word that came to
mind...)  What the #%&*^@#% am I supposed to do with that??  This is brand
new on a showroom floor, sitting there with a SOLD tag on it waiting to be
delivered.

I can't very well blame the dealer I work for.  He wouldn't know unless and
until one of us tuner types told him about it. (I left him a note, and will
try to contact him as soon as I can.)  I don't know if I can blame Baldwin.
They just buy them from Samick.  I would imagine that some Korean dude on an
assembly line that hasn't a clue what that little bolt does just didn't know
what to do when it all didn't line up right so simply stuck the screw in the
hole and sent it along to the next guy... and so on.  Until I get it.  And
if I was unscrupulous, I would super glue the screw in and send it on it's
way.  But I can't do that.  I just can't do that.  (Obviously, a few dozen
people before me didn't share my concerns.  They didn't even bother with the
super glue!)

What is the piano industry coming to?  Is this garbage becoming the "norm"?
Does every single new piano that comes out have something wrong with it?

I've become very frustrated.  I see people with limited means buying these
pieces of junk thinking that they're pretty good pianos, when in fact, many
of them have major defects from the very start.

I know I shouldn't take it personally, but my heart aches when I have to
deal with this stuff.  I feel violated.  I feel insulted that someone
somewhere expected me to buy the idea that this was a well built piano.
It's one thing to find an old piano in poor condition because of many years
of wear and tear.  But these are new pianos.

I don't get so upset when I have to repin a flange or twist a bass string or
ease a few keys.  Those kinds of things are pretty minor in the whole scheme
of things.  But things like setting a plate aren't so easy to go back and do
a "quick fix" on.

I guess I shouldn't ramble on so.  But I'm upset.  I really am.  I'm not
trying to be funny.  I had planned to tune a few more tonight, but after
seeing that kind of slop attached to a new piano (shaped object), I decided
to quit and come back another day.

Anyway, if anybody has an idea of what would be the most appropriate thing
to tell the dealer, I'd certainly be interested in what you have to say.

Thanks for letting me blow off some steam.

Best wishes to all,

Brian Trout
Quarryville, PA
btrout@desupernet.net