OK, I've read quite a bit of this, but I'll chime in. I term "rebuilding" as: The entire piano, basically, torn apart, keeping the rim,plate and basic structure in tact and replacing everything! That's it! Nothing else should be called a "rebuild"! Action "rebuilding" includes replacing everything including the keyframe all the way to the top with perhaps the stack frames intact if they are sound. Probably the sos rod as well. (how often do they fail?). Then again...original parts? Rebuilt? (OK...a bit too anal) The term I have used over the years is "action overhaul" or "total piano overhaul" as I've never done a complete "rebuild". Probably very few "rebuilds" have really been done. ( I know there are some, so Del, Darrel, Norm, and all, just calm...) I will always clarify with customers that, EXACTLY I am replacing "X" and will explain what other parts might be ENHANCED to perform better, or almost like new that really don't need replacing at the time (like wippen, for conversation). I will explain why the back action or "Damper action" is a different beast than the action, and so on. I do not use the word "rebuilding" unless the entire piano needs exactly that. I wish you all well with this conversation. I, being uneducated in total rebuilding, await some responses! I just recondition pianos and replace certaiin areas that are worn out. I outsource major jobs like soundboards and bridges, but will never totally "rebuild" a piano here as it would cost more than a new one of like name and size. All the best, Paul Williams RPT Piano Technician UNL From: "David Love" <davidlovepianos at comcast.net> To: pianotech at ptg.org Date: 10/18/2010 03:26 PM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Regulating, was curve was glide The problem with each of us having our own definitions is that it can lead to confusion and false expectations with customers. How many times have we encountered "rebuilt" pianos that had a new set of bass strings and hammers with everything else original followed by amazement at why our "rebuilding" costs are so much higher than Joe's. David Lovewww.davidlovepianos.com From: William Monroe <bill at a440piano.net> Sender: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:06:28 -0500 To: <pianotech at ptg.org> ReplyTo: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] Regulating, was curve was glide Yes, this is what I "sell" also. It seems more precise to me to identify things like hammer shaping, key bushing, pinning, cleaning, polishing, etc., as reconditioning of the action (making the components the best they can be, short of replacing them). Then, once you've finished reconditioning the action, move on to regulation, then tuning, and then voicing. It seems pretty clear that we're pretty much all doing the same things, it's just a matter of how we classify what we are doing to ourselves and in how we present it to our clients. William R. Monroe On Mon, Oct 18, 2010 at 2:28 PM, <reggaepass at aol.com> wrote: When I sell a "regulating", I'm saying to my customer that I will make their piano the best that it can be with the existing part ... and there are some who refer to what we may call "voicing" as "tone regulation," which, at the end of the day, cannot be completely isolated from the effects (hopefully positive) of mechanical regulation. I refer to the operation I sell as "reconditioning (of existing parts, mostly) and regulation." The reconditioning part include items such as key bushing, center pinning and the like. Alan Eder -----Original Message----- From: Al Guecia/AlliedPianoCraft <AlliedPianoCraft at hotmail.com> To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Mon, Oct 18, 2010 7:06 am Subject: Re: [pianotech] Regulating, was curve was glide .......after all, you can file hammers and clean, polish and voice without regulating. Can you really? What just happened to the letoff after you filed the hammers? Oh, OK, let me just adjust the letoff. Oh. wait a minute, now I need to fix the drop. Oh wait, the springs. And so on and so on. I guess I have been using the wrong terminology. When I sell a "regulating", I'm saying to my customer that I will make their piano the best that it can be with the existing part. Everything working to the highest level and peak performance. I sell the whole package. You know the term "Be all that you can be." I can't make a Knabe a Steinway, but I will make the Knabe perform to its highest level with the existing parts. I not judging others or saying their way is wrong, I'm just saying that's the way I do it. At this point I guess I need to come up with a better term to describes what I'm doing and what my customers are getting for their money. Al - High Point, NC -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20101018/67dc5d4c/attachment.htm>
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