(no subject)

[Brian Trout]

Hi Deb,

If I may ask a few questions, it may be helpful for some in giving a 
reasonable response.

You do mention that it was rebuilt when you bought it in 2001.  What was 
rebuilt when you bought it in 2001?  The action of the piano? (i.e. keys, 
hammers, action parts?)  "Refinishing" could have been lumped into the 
"Rebuilt" wording on the part of the person who sold it to you, but that 
probably has little relevance to your current situation.

You also mention that it had a new soundboard installed in 2002.  Hmmm...  
If the piano was "Rebuilt" when you bought it in 2001, it shouldn't have 
needed a new soundboard in 2002, but for sake of discussion, I'll assume 
(dangerous, I know) that only the action of the piano had been rebuilt.

Who installed the new soundboard?  Was the piano sent back to Steinway in 
New York to have their restoration department do the work?  Was it done by a 
local technician?  Were you offered any kind of warranty?

Ok, something a little closer to home...  What kind of environment has the 
piano been living in?  Is it being exposed to large ammounts of direct 
sunlight?  Is it sitting directly over a hot air vent or situated in a very 
dry location?  Have there been drastic swings in relative humidity, as in 
going from very high humidity levels to much lower humidity levels?  Is 
there a climate control system of any kind installed on the piano?  If not, 
is the relative humidity of it's location kept above 30% or so relative 
humidity and below 60% or so?

You mention what sounds like a split down the grain of the wood of one of 
the boards making up the soundboard.  That in and of itself probably doesn't 
have a huge impact on the sound quality of what you're hearing from your 
piano.  However, the causes of that split or crack may have a radical impact 
on the sound of your piano.  And unfortunately, it may be difficult for us 
to offer advice without a personal examination of the instrument.

There are a number of somewhat complex technical things that affect the "not 
having much sound in the upper register" including a few things like 
stiffness, mass, and crowning of the soundboard, most of which won't mean 
much to you without your being a technician.  How that soundboard was 
constructed can and does affect the sound, though, which is why I was asking 
who installed the soundboard.  That may give a clue as to some of those 
technical things.

It may be helpful if you would give a geographical area where you (and I 
presume) the piano are located, which would give anyone who may be reading 
and qualified the opportunity to get in contact with you to set up an 
appointment to evaluate your piano.

I am sorry to hear that you are having problems with your Steinway piano.  
They are wonderful instruments when properly rebuilt and properly taken care 
of.

Please feel free to tell us some more of the specifics so that we can in 
turn be more specific with our answers to you.

Best of luck,

Brian Trout







>From: "Deb Rodgers" <debarodgers@hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
>To: pianotech@ptg.org
>Subject: (no subject)
>Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 00:05:47 +0000
>
>I am a pianist and I purchased a rebuilt Steinway in May 2001.  It had a 10 
>year warranty. This piano has a new soundboard which was added in the 
>summer of 2002.  I just noticed a separation in the sound board.  I am very 
>upset about this recent development.  I'm not sure what this means.  Should 
>I be concerned.  Does this affect the sound of the instrument.  Currently I 
>am not pleased with the sound.  It does not have much sound in the higher 
>register however it seems to have too much sound in the middle and bottom 
>register.  Could this be caused by the separation that I am noticing?  I 
>would appreciate any guidance that you are willing to send.  I am confused 
>as to what direction to take regarding what I thought would be my dream 
>piano.
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.  
>http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail
>
>_______________________________________________
>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives


_________________________________________________________________
STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*  
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail