Bert Asks: << I have a customer with a Knabe grand with the strings completely rusted. I attempted to replace a few broken strings and tune (upon the customers request) but soon started snapping strings. >> Greetings, You are going to need a lot more than strings. Knabe pianos often have pinblocks that are coming apart. If the strings are rusted, then the bridge pins are going to need some attention, at least cleaning them, and perhaps re-notching with the next size up pins. Agraffes and capo bars are going to need a careful looking at, also. And don't forget the soundboard, are there loose ribs, cracks, separations? No one can tell you what you should charge, but for comparison, after I had been in the business some years, doing a lot of similar jobs, I timed myself and spent 23 hours "restringing" a grand piano. This included disassembly, drawing the plate pattern for reference, taking all the measurements, removing strings, replacing the pinblock, cleaning up the bridges with new pins in the top two octaves, repair one small crack in the board near the end of the bridge, refurbishing the agraffes and bearing bars, installing new felts, and chipping. I was young, experienced, and healthy at the time and I was paying attention to speed. Today, that work would take me approx. 50% longer, since I don't push quite so hard. The same work, when I started out would have taken me at least twice as long, maybe more. Think about your hours, cartage, parts, and what the learning experience is worth to you. Whatever you quote, you are going to need to live with it, so assume that you will probably lose money on your first job like this. It is more important to avoid putting a skeleton in your closet by doing a half-way job that comes back to haunt you for the rest of your career than it is to try for maximum profits on your first one. Good luck, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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