> I find one underlying negative aspect to piano rebuilding; the > customer is expecting more than the technician or piano can produce. Then perhaps the piano owner has made a poor choice of a piano rebuilder. What's so unusual about that? Same thing happens in construction, auto repair and medicine. Why would it be different for pianos? > This manifests itself when the technician is expecting more than is > possible through naiveté or outright deception. Same comment as above applies here I should think. However, I agree that this is something the technician has some control over. So some techs are smucks - is this news? > A 1926 Knabe may, in a long shot, be economically feasible if it > lived in this area all its life. Or a Chickering or whatever. What do you mean "economically feasible"? You mean whether the owner can afford the piano or the rebuild? > But I think, no matter how the economics spell out, that the end > result could be disappointing. Of course, any work could be bad. But any work can be good also. Why do you suggest something might be disappointing? I don't understand what you are trying to say. Terry Farrell On Oct 8, 2010, at 2:54 PM, Roger Gable wrote: > Nora, > I agree with Barbara and William that these pianos are not much > to write home about. Over the years I find one underlying negative > aspect to piano rebuilding; the customer is expecting more than the > technician or piano can produce. This manifests itself when the > technician is expecting more than is possible through naiveté or > outright deception. Engaging in such practice can damage your > reputation in short order. There was a well known PTG member in this > area who engage in a "rebuild" of a turn-of-the-century Steinway > "A". The job entailed a new action and restringing. When the job was > completed, the customer -- a well to do client - was grossly > disappointed with the $10,000 expenditure. Why? Any seasoned > technician could easily tell that the underlying problem was that it > needed a new soundboard. Subsequently, the customer sent the piano > out to a well known rebuilding technician, yielding a greater than > expected outcome. > Here in the Pacific Northwest, pianos live a much longer viable > life than in areas such as the East coast or Gulf states. A 1926 > Knabe may, in a long shot, be economically feasible if it lived in > this area all its life. But I think, no matter how the economics > spell out, that the end result could be disappointing. Nora, don't > take this personally, but your asking the question suggests that you > may have limited experience rebuilding. If so, be careful. > > Roger Gable -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20101008/3e8a5d76/attachment.htm>
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