A domestic selection of pianos, not all completely dire, many able to be helped, somehow, on some level, with caution... with trepidatious treatment. Hark, do I hear alarm bells blended with my tinnitus?
Spied from the train. It's either what I advise piano clients not to do - or what I do.
Canadian clunker.
But look - we rock!*
This piano had a compromised tootsie, mitigating further against daydreams of a DIY move within the house. It received a pedicure at the hands of a team of piano beauticians upon adjourning to the 'good room'. A professional piano move within the house can seem a bit expensive (almost as much as moving the piano to a new address) but it is worth considering if you value your walls, floors, back - and piano.
Upon my first visit to help this neglected old dear (the piano, not my client!) said client, a muso mate, was inspired to assist. The housework is never done once folk see the insides of their pianos.
Suck session success!
Beneath the cheery exterior of this former street piano lie myriad problems. It was cold comfort for the client to learn that not all its problems were caused by being dropped in a DIY move, just some of them.
If you choose to enjoy this piano on any other planet, you may void your warranty.
A Knight (brand) in shining armour, but all that glitters is not gold. A cosmetic plate refurbishment sees splashes of guilty gilt on the strings. Not a deal-breaker for a domestic clunker piano, just fun to note and photograph.
Installation of a new tenor string in progress, awaiting correct orientation around the bridge pins and to be brought up to pitch. I snapped this because it is usually very poorly lit around the nether regions of an upright piano, but this day saw some cheery (but indirect) natural light reach the piano. The numbers you see stamped into the bridge (20½, 20) are indications of which gauge music wire to use for the plain wire treble strings on those notes.
This clunker is not subject to guarantee, I'll guarantee you that!
Dreadful dribbles in a Dresden. One damper was literally stuck to its string group and could not lift off, glued by this contamination. Crusty old dampers have a hard enough time pretending not to be hard - to feign being young, resilient and supple - without this type of tipple.
As a proud Victorian, it's neat to see a great list of many notable locations from my formative forays.
Lipp service - spied inside a Richard Lipp piano. Very reasonable advice, it's hard to argue with any of it. But then to the dated, or quaint: 'Experienced tuners are rare...' followed by a sweet little 'name-check' for the company which trades in trust and authority to source the rare and rarefied.
What's missing? 'Like' us on Facebook?
* We're splendid at local branding on German and US pianos.
More tales of clunkers and non:
The Clunker Chronicles
Domestic(ated) pianos, a homely homily
Goanna Roundup (pianos about town)
Pianistic peregrinations (or why pianos don't like sun, swimming, nor sheds)
Grand, grander, grandest.
The Squeaky Pedal Blues
LIST OF BLOG POSTS
What's missing? 'Like' us on Facebook?
* We're splendid at local branding on German and US pianos.
More tales of clunkers and non:
The Clunker Chronicles
Domestic(ated) pianos, a homely homily
Goanna Roundup (pianos about town)
Pianistic peregrinations (or why pianos don't like sun, swimming, nor sheds)
Grand, grander, grandest.
The Squeaky Pedal Blues
LIST OF BLOG POSTS
