Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum It pays to use a qualified professional.

Some posts serve as reminders of a few horror stories when piano owners attempt to "do-it-yourself."

One case comes to mind where a pianist wanted to move his grand piano from the den to the living room. With an open floor plan it looked easy enough. He even called the piano store that sold him the instrument and asked if it could be done without having to pay piano movers. "Sure," the salesman said. "Just roll it in there."

And so, he did, leaving some 20 feet of ruts in his brand new hardwood floors.

If it pays to use a qualified professional, it doubly pays to first call the right one.

Then, there is the prospect who purchased a used console. It looked great. The antique dealer thought it was a good piano as well. So the person laid out almost enough cash to buy a new one.

Later, when the piano tuner came by to service the instrument, he, too, couldn't believe how nice the piano looked. It was as if the thing had been in a time capsule. That is, until he looked inside.

Was something wrong? It would be easier to ask if anything was right. Nothing was right. Nothing. Yes, it looked like a piano. Sure enough, it even had 88 keys. But that was about it.

The cost to make the piano tunable exceeded the price of a similar new instrument. Add this to the money already invested, and there is only one word to describe the situation: Sad.

For this prospect the lesson was hard-learned. It doesn't have to be so for others.

A "FREE" piano is never free. A "great deal on Craigslist" often means more money for me! I love Craigslist - it's the biggest piano store in town, and I don't have to discount my prices!

Stealthy DIY costs University big bucks.


At some point in time between the annual maintenance visits on a Fazioli F308 - regulation, voicing, et al. - someone sneaked into the supposed-to-be-locked storage room off stage, removed the fallboard lock, and spent considerable time filing the Abels. In all of its badness, however, there was a certain consistency to it. A call to RB confirmed suspicions. He, too, had seen it a time or two. DIY reads someone's poop on filing Steinways and, well, the short story is: Too much had been filed off to save 'em. If the University wanted the sound for which it paid handsomely, the piano would need a new set of hammers.

The head of the music department suspected Someone in Particular, but how that turned out is another story...

In cases such as these, it pays to keep the door locked. Perhaps placing the key in a safe with armed guards posted around the clock would be good too. (Both keys, that is.)

Curious as to how often, if ever, do prospects call you to ask about a pre-acquisition evaluation or appraisal on these.

That is a very interesting question.

Over on the Piano Forum, we often get questions about how to proceed with CL purchases. The standard advice is to 'have the piano fully inspected by a qualified piano technician.' I wonder how often this advice is taken.

Then there was the guy who removed the action from his old Smith & Barnes thinking it would make the piano lighter and easier to move from one room to the next.

Knowing nothing of bridal straps* and the functions thereof - much less the consequences that would ensue in their absence- he pulled the action not noticing that these had mostly turned to dust.

After the move he put the action in, only to realize that the keys "were all froze up." Later Mr. Tuner arrived, explaining that (1) it was not necessary to remove the action, and (2) the functions of bridal straps* - one of which keeps this very problem from occurring (when properly regulated, of course).

DIY turned what would have been a $75 move into a bit more. But, he also received an education and, I suppose, that has value. Maybe DIY, in effect, came out okay on this one?

*Correction: "Bridle straps." (Thanks to Mark R.

"It pays to use a qualified professional."

So, if I want to hire a qualified professional, do I have to ask him how to spell "bridle straps" first?

(Somehow, "bridal straps" always conjures up images of garter belts in my mind...)

Homophones! homonyms! heteronyms! homographs! Jeez!

Pre-CL experience: Most buy first and ask questions later. Now? Don't know. Anyone?

Bob, your avatar photo shows a horsey with lovely bridal straps!

Onomatopoetically and alliteratively,
I am,

P.S. - The DIY project that I'm good at is using memory dial to call my piano tech. I'm good at using my phone, but I sure wouldn't try to fix it!

Hmm. Could be metonymy

Think I need to pick up the homophone and call an English teacher.

Now everyone knows it all because they spent 20 minutes reading all about it on the internet

You cannot really blame craigslist shoppers for trying to get a better deal, after all you have the internet now so people can be better educated. If a family is on a budget of lets say 400 dollars then paying a technician 300 dollars for an assessment is out of the question so they are taking their chances. Industry norm for assessments in my area are 195 to 400 depending on the piano. Personally I think that is pretty steep for a working class family.

If the person is a former piano owner the biggest complaints I hear from them are the constant up-selling of tunings and maintenance work every time the tuner was in the home, making their instrument un-affordable to own.

Two years ago we took 2 pianos into court in TN along with the state attorney general. The plaintiffs who were suing a piano tuner claimed they were charged thousands of dollars to do routine maintenance and then told to get rid of it and buy new. When we took the same piano into court along with two others that had no regular maintenance schedules the " experts" could hear no difference in either piano.

The defendants lost badly. The recession should have eliminated these up-selling practices some but they still are an issue which costs tuners revenue. Lots of posts on these boards about why no one is calling them in.

Isn't that the truth.

It is hard to know how to take some of these "how to" piano service videos. On the one hand, we can look at the things as parody and laugh. On the other, we can look at 'em as sheer stupidity and laugh even harder. It's short-lived though. Laughter soon turns to mystified. Is the public really buying into this DIY stuff? If so, then to what degree? Even worse, are they implementing some of the ridiculous assertions of certain self-appointed "experts"?

There are certainly good piano service videos on the Internet. These are all but lost in the plethora of foolishness.

Maybe the reason why an unprecedented number of pianos are ending up at the city landfills isn't entirely as thought by conventional wisdom.

All signs point to a new enemy that may be beating, bending and twisting The Grand Old Instrument to extinction.

Something to ponder.

It does seem rather steep. There is no reason why a good tech should need any longer than an hour to thoroughly inspect a piano locally. In some cases, less. Of course, if the tech's rate is $300 per hour/labor, then maybe the prospect needs to shop around for a more reasonably priced technician.

I don't know what works in other areas. Here, to avoid nickel-and-diming a prospect to death - inspecting this piano and that one, etc - I'd ask him what he's looking for specifically, put him on my list, and call when I ran across something that appears suitable. In our line of work we do see lots of pianos for sale - or about to be - here and there, and without going out of our way. It only takes a phone call, and if that's the piano he wants, then that's the one I'd charge to inspect. Unless, of course, I already know very well the piano and it's history. Then, there is no charge to the prospect whatsoever.
The whole process typically moved along quite speedily.

Sure beats a crapshoot on CL.

There is merit in what you say, Bob, but I have to wonder: how many of you techs out there are actively engaged in the process of teaching young people about the craft? I know from my recent enquiries that the overwhelming majority of piano techs have no interest in mentoring younger people. They don't have the time, the inclination, the interest. It is getting nigh on impossible to receive training in piano servicing in most parts of the world. Most techs are simply biding their time until they retire and their knowledge is lost to the world - with the exception of sharing ideas on fora like this one.

So, is it any wonder that people feel tempted to attempt DIY repairs in the light of all this? I am a very capable person with tools, I have very strong mechanical aptitude and I have a background in physics. I am also prepared to pay a tech to show me how to do various things properly. But do you think I can get much interest? No way! I may as well attempt DIY on my own 60's Yamaha U3. What do I have to lose? I read up on the technical issues here on Pianoworld, I ask questions if I'm unsure, then I get the tools and have at it. I haven't had any disasters. I treat my piano with care and caution. In a couple of instances, I did a better job on certain things than the person I paid to do it for me - simply because I am more motivated to care for my piano than they were, and if they are bored with their job/life etc, paying for these services is not necessarily a blessing or a privilege.

My advice to techs who are scornful about DIYers: at least make sure you are willing to teach those who ask for your help. Don't treat people like they can't learn anything about your craft or like they want to render you obsolete. The future of pianos are dependent on you guys sharing your very precious knowledge and skills.

$300 to go look at a piano for a customer? An hour to inspect it? It takes like 15 minutes to let them know if it's worth buying or not. In that amount of time I can inspect the soundboard and bridges, look at the condition of the strings and coils, check torque on the tuning pins, get a feel for the regulation and whether there are any action problems, check the condition of the hammers, and look up the age. There's no reason why it should cost more than around $50-75.

Precisely, Loren. It is not unreasonable at all for a really good, fast tech to inspect a piano in short order. (I was giving some of us from The Hot Sunny South a little extra time for our s-l-o-w movin' - especially in dealing with a grand piano.)

Exactly! Remember that in this situation, all we're really doing for the customer is telling them whether it's a piano to avoid moving, etc. Now, if we're called to appraise a piano for rebuilding or repairs, then yes, a much more thorough inspection is called for so you can give the customer accurate information and also make sure you don't end up eating costs you didn't count on.

If I called an appliance guy to see if it was worth buying a used washer, and he charged me $300, I'd be pretty upset!

Indeed. A purchase assessment is pretty straightforward.

I discuss CL pianos with a lot of people. I tell them if they want to shop on CL, let me help pick a piano and go with them to inspect it. We also talk about what it would take for one of these pianos to be put into decent condition if they do buy it.

It's good for my business, and people find functional pianos that will last them, that they can afford.

the French name of the operation is "aller voir" meaning "going to have an eye on" (as when movers come to see the stairs)

It can be done very fast - indeed some action problems may pass unsuspected, but if the piano is in an acceptable fair condition it is seen very soon.

Nothing really dismounted unless a problem is detected and repairs are to be priced.

The cost is a little less than a tuning.

I prefer to help the customer to find something in their budget, than going on his own selection, with a selection on the CL, a few phone calls, it is easy for a professional to have an idea of the instrument. I get paid for that indeed. I have no much time to do so those days but it happened enough.

Those days when selling a second hand piano, it is not so rare that the customer ask to come with his tuner, or piano teacher.

Well accepted in the trade, but many avoid the situation.

Today home prep, and first tuning is a part of the price negotiation , while yet under evaluated.

Thank you, Ando, for your kind remarks. Your questions and observations have great depth and deserve no less in response. They not only speak to the present, but reach far beyond to an uncertain future of two allied industries linked in decline - one in virtual free fall and the other not far behind. To do proper justice would easily constitute a volume.

There are no easy answers. Our industry is anything but monolithic. Comprised of virtually all Chiefs and few Indians, there are almost as many opinions as there are mouths. Consequently, answers that will satisfy everyone usually prove elusive.

I can only speak from one perspective. My own. Others will weigh in. You'll have to determine what is germane.

The answer to your first question is: I do not know the number of techs who are able and willing to teach. Couldn't even hazard a guess. There is much more to teaching than possessing requisite knowledge of tuning, repair and running a business. What few times I have agreed to help one learn the craft have met with failure. I am a technician, not a teacher. No one is helped by me pretending to be a teacher. And, yes, it takes all of my time and energy just to run my business. Only in retirement have I found time to participate in the PW forums.

The consequence that you predict for our industry could be on target. If, for whatever reasons, techs do not pass the art and science on to the next generation - if they do not find creative ways to generate enough interest and desire in young hearts and minds to embrace it as a career - such would in all likelihood die with them; were it not, however, for the unprecedented number of schools and colleges that now teach piano technology. If this system works well for learning other professions, there is no reason why it cannot work well for ours. The future of our trade is not wholly predicated upon a declining number of techs who are willing to "teach."

With respect to your second question, we all have a tendency to view the world in our own little box. Consequently, we err greatly in thinking that educational and career opportunities are universal. In certain quarters, there are little to none. Accordingly, one who desires to take up the Tuner's Mantle, either as a career or a hobby, faces formidable challenges. However, with the spirit and desire that you manifest, I have no doubt that you are the kind of person who can learn this trade even if you have to teach it to yourself via proper books, instructions, etc.

Your presence and comments here on PW suggest that you are no "DIYer." At least not as I understand and use the moniker. You are on a professional forum because you want to learn first, and do second. You are a student. The only question that remains is: Will you see it through?

Thanks again, and best wishes.

Good point. And it is not unheard of for a tech to do some of this gratis knowing that such kindness is often rewarded with a lifelong customer.

Piano purchase prospects are sometimes surprised to learn from a professional tech important info like: the used piano at the store priced at $800 is really a better buy than the same piano on CL for $495. In my area, at least one dealer would add: 1) free delivery, 2) one free tuning in-store and 3) one free tuning later, in-home, 4) a full one year warranty, 5) full price trade-in on an upgrade to a new piano (if done within, I think, one year), 6) financing with little-to-nothing down, and 7)lots of good advice on placement, etc.

+1! Often times I've done it for long-time customers and churches, etc.

yes; certainly. It is more useful when you chase for a good piano and have a decent budget/ Then the tech collaboration is really a must.

Then there's the guy who upgraded from a spinet to a small grand piano. He acquired it from an individual who advertised in the classified section of the local newspaper.

Without calling upon professional help of any kind - neither technical writings nor verbal or on-site consult with a qualified tech - he examined the instrument thinking that spotting a problem would be easy. After all, he was a pianist.

After delivery to his home, the piano would not hold a tune - especially in the tenor section. So, he called a piano tech who, upon examination, revealed the presence of several cracks in the harp running diagonally from pin-to-pin about the space of two to three inches. The piano could not be tuned. Given that it was an older stencil piano, any viable attempt at repair would clearly be throwing good money after bad.

This is a perfect example of DIY. A purchase is made, or a repair is attempted, without seeking qualified professional assistance whatsoever: No advance recon. No reading technical writings. No verbal or on-site consult with a technician. He literally does it himself.

He's like the person who buys a product that requires rather involved assembly and doesn't bother to read the directions. Eschewing professional guidance in any form, he takes the plunge. Sometimes it works, others times it doesn't.

But, it is his prerogative to gamble with his own money.

On the other hand, as piano techs it is our prerogative to advise against it.

The thing is that some DIY are really enthusiastic and so proud of being able to "do something" on their own instrument, that they may be reluctant to accept advise from a professional.
.

I have had that situation sometime, and I understand it as the person knows more or less how far he is from a professional quality, and is a little afraid to have some of his work pointed.

When I really could not understand it, is when it is proposed to learn how to tune a few unisons, and the person yet have a tuning lever and try to arrange some notes sometime.

One proposed explained me that all the piano work was sort of hobby, and he have more pleasure to discover things by himself.

As long as his interventions are only on his own instruments all is well for me.

But the enthusiastic that try to learn to tune and need more pianos to train himself will propose to neighbors and friends sometime. Then ask for a small fee...
Some are gifted when repairing and have enough intellect ability to obtain an adequate idea of what they do. I have seen a few total beginners without any formal training, who are know recognized as experts in a small market "niche" .

The level can be good, but I do not trust it can compare with a properly trained specialist.

Then I have also seen enough repairs done by "experts" that where a little frustrating for the pianist, so I understand that some want to do it themselves.

Unfortunately, when you have worked on concert pianos, you have tonal references that make you hear the defects in repairs, where others will find the job good ans satisfying.
A good musical sensitivity and experience will certainly help DIY and some can finish with some experience, but it is relatively rare in the end.

Very good points, Isaac. Thanks

This 40+ year old story comes courtesy of my late "mentor."

It's short.

The guy who thought old bass strings could be renewed by removing the whole set and cooking 'em in oil.

Don't recall what type of oil: motor, olive, vegetable.

Care to guess how that one turned out?

Then there are the folks who use a professional, but do not follow his instructions.

While tuning a church upright, the tuner discovers a serious problem with mice. The little pests are just about to destroy the innards.

Tuner suggests setting traps outside of the piano: kitchen, behind the instrument, etc, because you want to avoid putting poison in the piano, the critters dying in the keybed (a popular nesting place), stinking up the place, and having to pay to have keys removed to get to the carcass.

Six months later, and it's time to tune again. Tuner opens the lid and sees rat poison pellets scattered about the action, etc. Later, when he adjusts the trapwork, an open jar of peanut butter is found next to the bass bridge.

Why peanut butter? Guess they thought it would attract mice into the piano where they would feast on the poison too.

Guess they were also out of cheese.

From the archives:

Guy buys a Steinway grand for a piddling salvage fee. Been in a house fire. Totaled out by the insurance co. "Only smoke damaged with a little indirect spray" he's told by the adjuster.

He totes the instrument to a rebuilder along with a whopper of a check.

After all is said and done, several months later he decides that it's now time to call a piano tech.

Tech arrives. Glue joints are already giving way here and there. And there's no end in sight.

All of this could have been avoided by a simple free phone call to the piano tech (of his acquaintance) who condemned the thing in the first place.

For a serious pianist on a tight budget-the most cost effective way to acquire a grand piano that plays and sounds like a performing piano should-is to collaborate with a tech who is fully skilled in tone-regulation and action rebuilding.

I have some clients who find (for example), a 20YO Samick 6' on CL from a home where it was not played much for around $6K. Piano still looks much like new. I then replaced the hammers, shanks, flanges; key-bushings; repined damper action and whippens; corrected action geometry and strike point; and re-shaped capo dastro bar for another $7K to $8K.

For some $14K they now have a piano that plays and sounds marvelous and is very easy to keep that way even when played several hours a day for many years.

For clients like these I do not charge to inspect prospective instruments.

Nashville might call this "up-selling"-my clients call it wonderful.

Great example, Ed. Thanks!

As a piano Technician, I don't buy or sell pianos on Craigslist, but I love when people do. They call me to clean up the mess. My services don't come cheap either

If anyone talks to me about getting a CL piano, I explain to them that whatever they get will almost certainly need work, and I try to give them a reasonable expectation of what it will cost them. I ain't cheap, either...

I recently took this advice. However my tech (who has tuned & maintained my vertical for several years) is ... well, he has rather 'special' taste. And there were things he'd have missed, had I failed to ask specific questions -- like, 'how's the pinblock?' Plus: because my tech wasn't using a printed checklist, the seller was getting -- for free -- *most* of the information I was paying for. So the seller could have told me to take a hike, and added the good news parts of the info to his story for the next interested party.

I did buy the instrument and am happy I did, but my tech did not help my negotiating position very much, so I was essentially on my own.

I'm not bitter. And to cut my tech a little slack -- I don't think he gets called go do evals all that often, plus he may have been caught off-guard by how very present the seller was. I liked the sellers, think they were honest, and believe that the asking price was in the ballpark for what they knew when they priced the instrument. But if I ever have to do this again (I so hope my tech didn't miss anything major -- I do like this piano.), I will hand the next tech a checklist, and ask for checkmarks, notes -- and silence.

And yes, as much as I like my former tech personally, I learned some things about his approach that have led me to decide he will no longer be my tech.

Addendum: This was a CL piano. I had told my tech and four dealers -- two in other states -- that I was looking for a solid pre-owned instrument. Result? Crickets. Nothing.

Finding a good used piano may be easier said than done.

Thanks, Thorn. Good points. The overriding question is really how to find a qualified piano technician. This too is easier said than done. Often, we suggest that one call the local PTG chapter and get a recommendation there. Though the risk of receiving bad work or ill advice is exceedingly minimized by so doing, such of itself is not a 100% guarantee. It's an imperfect world. We all make mistakes. There are many good techs in the MPTA too. Bunches of good techs belong to neither organization. Another good place to get a recommendation - though not necessarily 100% either - is the local Symphony or the music (piano) department of a University. Also, the better techs tend to be "full time" and booked a few months out.

This is interesting. For myself, I feel that being able to comprehensively assess a piano is almost as important as being able to tune the darned thing.

My tech is a competent person. As I said, I had used him for awhile. I think part of what was going on, is that he knew I was enthusiastic about the instrument. In fact, he was less critical of it than I was, when what I needed was more the opposite.

I am reasonably certain that my purchase is not a boondoggle, so things so far have turned out ok. I can't have the instrument tuned for another couple of weeks, but it's playable enough that I've been practicing on it. It was just weird to have to prompt the guy. Could be he's very easily distracted or something. I'm just telling the tale to get out there that the evaluation -- even if undertaken by a qualified pro -- can be a little more complicated, and maybe less technical, than one might hope. And seriously. Checklist. Like for a home inspection, just shorter.

I'm working on scheduling my second opinion/first tune. I'll report back on what the next tech says in a couple of weeks. The situation should be far more 'normal', because I now own the instrument. Maybe I'm completely out of whack. If I am, I'll be quick to admit it. I don't know anywhere close to everything.

Whats funny is all these professional techs explaining what one should and shouldn't do before they buy a piano. Advice like, "just get a good one". As a total noobie, how does one find a good one? How does one identify a "good" technician vs a "bad" one? Isn't the point of someone calling BECAUSE they don't know what they are doing?

sometime I help to have a better price because some work will be necessary, sometime (rare)the instrument have been so nicely maintened I consider the price asked fair.

The tech is not paid to lower the value of the piano, but to assess its condition and to put a number in front of the job necessary to put it at the same level it would be in a decent (honest) professional place... (on that last I tend to say that chances are that the piano will be better prepped with a direct deal with a technician, but I tend to badmouth about "second hand specialized shops", with some reasons ...)

the tech is supposed to know the market value, but this really is worth for recent instruments , less than 30 years old for instance.

by exchanging, now most experienced techs have no much time to help someone top find a piano, but you do not need the absolute best one in town, all depend what instrument you are looking for.

WIth some experience a tech can instruct you minimally about pianos, and how to chase for them, so you avoid the gross mistakes, then, there is documentation and forums.

You need to have plenty of time in front of you, and the budget at hand.

After +- 6 months , generally the opportunity appears (sometime less, sometime more)

"My tech is a competent person."

Thorn,

He may very well be a competent person, but with everything you have mentioned, he doesn't seem to be a competent piano technician.

Give my best to his wife and family.

What I think I actually learned about the guy in question, is that he may be the piano tech equivalent of the general dentist. Except that the general dentist would be expected to refer the patient to an endodontist for a root canal rather than undertaking to perform the procedure (and the billing) him- or herself.

PS. I do not intend to hijack this thread, which was plenty interesting before I got here. Carry on...

Thanks, thorn. You raise a valid point. Piano techs do specialize. Some tune only (in which case they are not really techs). Others rebuild only. Some do everything. Some do everything, but not evaluations or appraisals. All the more reason to ask the tech about his/her services before we secure them.

Thanks Gary: I like your slogan, "Making the world a better sounding place, one piano at a time..."
There's no better place to start than CL pianos.
Those pianos need .

Mr. Fowler,

Please identify yourself as professional which is required when using Piano World.

True. I also believe that a prospective buyer tends to get a more realistic monetary appraisal from a good piano tech: what the piano is really worth considering above all, it's condition. Never, "what the market will bear" condition notwithstanding.

Yes, that, plus being able to understand the expectations, customers are sometimes very precise explaining what they wish.

But those are the ones that contact piano technicians, they have yet done some homework, sometime surprisingly in deep.

Now a tech cannot propose a large choice, as it happen in shops, it is more like hunting on CL, so the choices have to be done intelligently.

As there are not so much good opportunities, it is sort of limited.

Also, for the best brands, the dealers also want to buy, sometime at a higher price as they can sell better in the shop, generally with less work done.

(generally)

So one need to be fast to decide when the good candidate is there.

Detecting the counterfeits (1)

A pianist upgraded to an old "Baldwin M" and paid a local company a large sum to refinish it.

Then she called the tech who, after arriving, made the following observations:

1. Baldwin fallboard decal to match period present? Yes.
2. Baldwin medallion present and re-tacked to it's proper place? Yes.
3. Baldwin "look," ferrule legs, et al.? Yes and no.
4. Size okay? No. Too short for an M.
5. Baldwin indicated in raised letters on the harp? Nothing present at all.
6. Harp match any known Baldwin product? No.


What is it? A counterfeit via a Baldwin decal placed on a refinished, cheap ca.1930s knock-off.


*Clearly, the client came out on the losing end of the deal. This might have been avoided by calling on a professional piano tech to evaluate the instrument prior to purchase.

Yes probably, but it relate strangely with the thread, as those may be "professional" job.

A similar thing happen when a brand piano is rebuild with a new soundboard made in a different wood, and with different methods than the original.

Thanks, Isaac. Good point. I've added a sentence or two for clarity.

Detecting the counterfeits (2)

A customer visiting an estate sale upgraded to a vintage "Steinway" grand. Being a "Steinway," much money was paid for it.

After purchasing she called the tech who, upon arrival, made the following observations:

1. Steinway fallboard decal to match period present? Yes.
2. Steinway indicated in raised letters on the harp? Nothing present at all. The harp is plain.
3. Harp bears no resemblance to any known Steinway product.
4. Action is not Steinway.
5. Steinway manufactures no grand as small as this one.

What is it then? A counterfeit via a Steinway decal placed on an older refinish job.

Unlike most, this story has a better ending. Once it was pointed out to the estate sale person that the piano was a counterfeit, a full refund was offered. In this, she got lucky. That she was an attorney didn't hurt either.

A grand piano moved into the State with the pianist in tow and with a "complete" humidity control system as well. He was quite proud having installed it by himself.

During my first service call I checked the pads. Beneath the beast something was clearly amiss. While asking about it, he said: "O, yeah. I wondered what that was for."

He left the room and returned with the moisture shield in hand.

I installed it and told the client that I'd be back to tune after the system did its thing.

About a month or two passed and I returned to tune.

Didn't have the heart to tell him of the crack now visible in the area of the board directly above the tank.

In the following incident, the piano owner is a teacher. The rebuilder is no more - at least not under the name on the receipt - but was of wide renown in the industry, which makes the incident all the more surprising. Renown doesn't always mean qualified. Locating a qualified rebuilder is much the same process as finding a good piano tech. Remarks on this are elsewhere in this thread. The following course of action was recommended. The present disposition of the piano in question is unknown.


Dear ____________Piano Rebuilders:

I am writing because my numerous phone calls have not been returned.

Once again, thank you for rebuilding my vintage Steinway. It is absolutely gorgeous. I only wish that it played as well as it looks.

Apparently you did not have the foresight to understand that rebuilding a piano brings a return to normal usage, and with this comes stress on old parts that you did not see the need to replace.

I am now on my third piano technician trying to determine why the piano action is not working correctly. Some keys do not repeat. Others no longer function at all. The reason, he tells me, is that the only parts you replaced are the hammers and key bushings. The hammer shanks, flanges and wippens are all original, that is over 100 years old.

Repetition springs are failing. The jacks are coming unglued. Buttons are splitting. The action cannot even be regulated correctly and what little can be done doesn't last more than a day or two. You have completely ignored the under-lever parts and the sostenuto.

Given the great distance between us, I urge you to send the necessary funds so my technician can replace the parts and regulate the action. Until such time as you see fit to do so, all that I have is an expensive piece of furniture and little else.

Sincerely,


__________

Piano Teacher

A vintage Grotrian grand was in need of rebuilding. Some hesitation ensued due to a crack in the harp.

The local piano tech advised against rebuilding.

When a rebuilder in another State provided assurance that the crack would be repaired and shot the owner a low price, the temptation to proceed was irresistible.

The tech well-knew the quality of work that this particular rebuilder was known for: fast and cheap. Once again, he advised against it.

Notwithstanding, off the Grotrian went.

Upon completion, it arrived back. The piano looked great!

A close inspection by the tech revealed a smooth repair to the harp. Too smooth. But the owner was happy and the tech just smiled and departed.

Fall soon gave way to winter and it was time to tune. The crack in the harp was back. Under the glass the tech could see no signs of repair - not even a dried spot of Elmer's.

Meanwhile, the rebuilder had passed away and his business was no more.

For months the owner pondered what to do. It was during this time that a new method of plate repair was receiving very good reports both here and abroad. And so, the Grotrian was shipped overseas. And another large fee was paid.

When it arrived back in the States, the repair was smooth and undetectable. But the diameter of the plate section was noticeably thicker. Characteristic of the new process.

The Grotrian went on to live a good life.

I heard such bad reports befor the humidifier rods had a security and they do not warm if the pads are not functionning.

What I do not accept is that the humidistat have no security and can turn wild, humidifying or drying all times.

Thoses systems have to be under survey when they are installed.

Exactly, Isaac. The DC system has evolved over the years improving every step of the way. Unfortunately, the piano owner installed a system without the "smart bar."

I do not know how the absence of the moisture shield had gone undetected for so long. Prior to my servicing it, apparently someone had been changing the pads. Perhaps the owner? Are there some piano supply companies that sell to those not in the trade? Yes. And sometimes with tragic results.

All DC systems need to be checked at least twice annually - especially those without the "smart bar" feature.

if the original circuitry had been redesigned to "do nothing" when moisture level is acceptable this would never happen.

I agree with your previous remarks, but not sure I understand this one. Thanks all the same.

I mean that the circuitry probably have only one relay so the humidifier is on, or in the other position that is the deshumidifier.
It may be because he system correct the RHslowly, they may have think it was not necessary to have a position where nothing happens.

But when there is an electronic glitch one or the other is on.
That is what I call "no security."