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I'll take that as an order, Sir!

As requested, here are photos I took today on the job. They are before and after views, so you can see the signs of use, and what they do to the lids, and what I do to try to instill a little hesitation next time they think of bashing the pianos, for what little good it may do.

This is the edge of the lids, and the chips are from the pianists occasionally standing on the lids (all FOUR of them), beating on the edges with DRUMSTICKS. So, these pianos, which were brand new last June, now look like this:





You can only see one in the center of the bottom photo, but there always at least a few rings from drinks set on the lids during the course of the week, too.

After I tune, I wipe the pianos down, and today I replace the black duct tape that covers the downstage side of the lid edges, to help protect them from the drumming. And yes, the finish chips off even with the duct tape covering it.




The pianos are getting to the point where I'll soon be resurfacing the hammers and doing some regulation; the hammers are grooved and tinny, and there's noticeable slop in the action.

All in a week's work...

That's quite the gig you got there!!! Shame for the pianos but good for your business!

I just read an article about the new Sherman Tank & Sons 6"9" Steel Edition.

Might be worth checking out!

Well at least the piano is sitting in caster cups to keep from scratching the floor. :-)

Hey OperaTenor--

How 'bout 1" foam pipe insulation to protect that edge? It would crimp on by its own pressure, and it's flexible!

http://www.lowes.com/pd_24434-1410-P12XB/6_0__

Since people climb on and off the lids so much, they'd pull the rubitex off in no time at all, I think.

I'm thinking spray on bedliner

If you haven't seen the Mythbusters episode where they investigate its alternate uses, I'd highly recommend it for inspiration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7Pty4NmVyI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JOXrpCLCJg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Rob

I would reorient the casters so the flex of the leg is oriented toward the reinforced part of it. In time, that external position can also bend a little the keybed.


I seem to notice a scratch on the lid.. Probably just a defect of the picture...

The Meaning of Life is duct tape and hot glue.

Plenty of furniture polish on those lids will make for some interesting dancing (plenty of band-aid supplies required), piano vengeance at last!

(I realy did LOL!)

Update: Still breaking bass strings. A *lot* of bass strings.

This is what I saw when I opened the lid of the stage left piano today:

not enough first voicing ? bass hammers may be really hard to break so much strings (unless something wrong with regulation)

around 30 40 stiches with 3 needles, from bottom up 10:00 is not so much on hard hammers and may make a somewhat slower spring than what is generally find on pianos with asian hammers .
Just a guess of course , you may have more tone in the basses then.

Hammer shape and voicing aside (as well as playing style and abuse), it interesting to me that it appears the bass are all breaking right at the agraffe, and the grooving in the felt at the bearing bar prior to the tuning pin is quite significant. Could the agraffes be too far in or a burr on the chamfering of the agraffe cutting at the core wire?

In any case this fits the profile of a "high use instrument."

The bass strings are breaking because the players are beating the bejeezus out of the pianos. 8 out of the 9 players don't even know what voicing is.

They are content with buying lots of replacement bass strings. :shrug:

Yep Jim, just shrug all the way to the bank!

It is no surprise, many technicians also , but it is the job of the tech, not the one of the pianist.
I am persuaded even Jerry Lee Lewis dont break strings or not as much. But his piano is voiced, as all the jazz boogie pianos I have seen coming with pianists that play tgat kind of music.

There may be a problem with agrafes as well and with the slant behind them.