[pianotech] Spinets

[Piano Boutique]

Ryan,

I have a few things to add to this discussion.   First of all: if the only people who played expensive pianos were aloud to play,the world would have missed out on a lot of good musicians.

Second:  I sure have made a lot of money off Acrosonics.

Finally,  John Grace and I came from the same school and I love him dearly.  He will be one of the first to say like Professor Robert Sherman said, he can pull music out of any instrument.

Of coarse, you all know what I am talking about, so go out there and give every customer your best.


William



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ryan Sowers 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Sunday, September 26, 2010 6:55 PM
  Subject: Re: [pianotech] Spinets


  Wim lives in Hawaii which is an extreme climate for pianos. Rust, bugs, and such take their tole in a much more accelerated manner in a situation like that.

  In my climate (Pacific NW) we see many older pianos that have virtually no rust, with felts and parts in good working condition. 

  Comparing spinets to large pianos is a bit like comparing a ukulele to a big body guitar. It's not a fair comparison! A good ukulele can be a lot of fun and there is much music to be made on them.  A good Irish tin whistle is the same way! 

  I have had pianists who could play quite well buy spinets from our shop. I think some of the technicians who criticize spinets maybe don't even play the piano. 

  A nicely tuned, voiced, and regulated spinet is a rare beast indeed. We are one of the very few shops in the Puget Sound who have them. I have made them a specialty. When I was starting out I worked in a little shop downtown that was owned by a blind tech, John Grace. John (an excellent musician, by the way!) was never intimidated by spinet pianos and he got a kick out of them. That experience working with him, helped open my mind about these little beasties. 

  So for those who hate them, go ahead and bash spinets, and pat yourself on the back about how you are above such lowly pianos. It just means more work for me!

  Ryan Sowers, RPT
  Puget Sound Chapter
  Olympia, WA
  www.pianova.net


  On Sun, Sep 26, 2010 at 9:27 AM, Bill Fritz <pianofritz50 at aol.com> wrote:

    Joe, you said in reply to Wim's comments:

    > Wim,
    > I totally disagree.<G>
    > Joe
    > 
    > Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon)

    Could you please explain the basis of your disagreement?  

    Wim makes a compelling argument.  Inquiring minds want to know...   Bill Fritz, StL/PTG

          From: tnrwim at aol.com 
          To: joegarrett at earthlink.net; pianotech at ptg.org 
          Subject: Re: [pianotech] Spinets 
          Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2010 22:47:21 -0400 (EDT) 

    One of the main problems with spinets is not that they can't be made better. It's that for the most part, (there are exceptions), the people who own them, got them for free, or for very little money, and don't want to spend the money it takes to make them better. Not only that, but often there are so many things wrong with them, it's hard to know where to start. Here in Hawaii, most spinets are at least 30 - 40 years old, or older, and they have rusty stings, worn out actions, crusty dampers, pedals that don't work, and cases that look like hell. Where do you start? 

    It's not that I don't want to make them better, even if a customers is willing to spend some money to make it better. But sometimes it's just not worth it to make even the most basic of repairs. 

    Wim






  -- 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20100926/70086681/attachment.htm>