I am not a piano technician, but just a lurker on this PTG list. I have a Rippen 6'6" grand piano, purchased new by me about 35 years ago. While it is in good shape, at my last tuning, my tuner told me that it was overall slightly flat, and she was somewhat concerned that the pins were not "as tight as they should be" in the pinblock. She has suggested three alternatives for repair of this condition #1 is to inject very thin CA glue in the pinblock next to each pin. She said this could be done without removing the pins or strings. This is obviously the cheapest solution (Less than $100 estimate). I wonder about the long-term stability, however. #2 is to remove the existing pins and replace them with pins "the next size larger". This would of course involve removing the strings as well, and under this option, she said we might be able to reuse the existing strings, although some of the bass wound strings might be replaced. This is estimated as "several hundred dollars". #3 is the same as #2, but would replace all of the strings rather than reusing them. This is the most costly repair; she indicated it would be $1000-$2000. What is considered good practice for a repair of this condition? I value the piano highly and do not want to anything that would damage it. All of the repairs she suggested (except possibly #1) would most likely have to referred or contracted out as the work is beyond her normal practice; this may also affect the choices as I live in a relatively smaller town (Spokane, WA) and I suspect finding qualified restorers will involve either taking it to Seattle (300 miles) or importing the restorer to Spokane. I seek comments on the alternatives from the group. Thanks in advance! Bill Morton --- [Certified Virus free by ASISNA Mail Services. www.asisna.com ] --- [Certified Virus free by ASISNA Mail Services. www.asisna.com ]
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