Warrenty on rebuilds vs new.

[Richard Moody]

Deb writes
    "I just noticed a separation in the [new] sound board.  I am
very upset
about this recent development."



Was your, "what I thought would be my dream piano"  really that
dream piano  when you first sat down and played it, or were you
lead to believe "it can be much improved after you buy it?"

What is the warranty on the "new soundboard which was added in the
summer of 2002." ?   (after a rebuild from May of 2001 with 10
year warranty???) Because of problems with every thing from global
warming to central heating to kiln dried second growth
spruce---cracks in soundboards are the risk of the owner these
days in my opinion.  Of course the sound board installer is not
going to mention this, unless he has a disclaimer for you to sign.
      In my humble opinion sound board crack insurance should be
offered along with the installation fee, around 10% of the cost of
installation and materials.  If more than 1 out of 10 new
soundboard installations are cracking in 5 years, then installers
need to take a look at what they are doing.
    To set things straight I would suggest going to a few stores
and playing a few new M's.  Then if your M really sounds deficient
to new, you may have an issue.  The significance of your concerns
is then proportional to the price you paid vs the price of a new
M.  Can I suppose it was your "dream piano" because you compared
it to new, or thought it better than new?
    What is the price of a new M?---40--45K?  How much over 20K do
you have in your M?  Is the new M really worth another 20K ?
    What you did, buying a "rebuilt piano" was the best option I
think  in spending money for a pre-owned piano.  At least you get
what you hear.  If you spend thousands on your own piano to be
rebuilt you have to accept how it comes out.
     Unfortunately what you hear in a newly rebuilds, or even on
some new pianos might not last.  In the case of rebuilds your
position is more precarious because the warranty may not be as
liberal as on new pianos.  Things can go wrong in the rebuilding
shop for old pianos as well as in the factory for new pianos.  The
factory can afford to replace defective pianos  with new pianos.
Not so with the rebuild shop. Sometimes it takes a few years for
defects to manifest.  The factory producing 100's of pianos per
year is in a better position to fulfill warranty requests than the
rebuild shop that does 10 or fewer per year.  In part, it depends
on if new from the factory is really twice as good as rebuilt from
the shop and value when sold again.
    The list of considerations goes on and on.  Is your piano
played 2 hrs a day, or 2 hours a week?  How much do you think it
should cost to keep a "dream M" in the dream status?   $100 a
year,  plus $1,000 every 10 years?  When was the last time it was
tuned, or the hammers filed and voiced and the action regulated?
A mere 10 hours of technical expertise might get your M back to
your expectations, or close enough after considering all pianos do
age and are subject to certain wear and tear from playing.  And
the tech is recommended by  symphony players, successful
musicians, school music departments or highly regarded teachers?

----- Original Message -----
From: Deb Rodgers <debarodgers@hotmail.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2003 6:05 PM
Subject: (no subject)


> 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.
>
>