Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum How do I tell they are Teflon?

How do I ascertain that a Steinway built during the "Teflon Bushing Era" Actually has them and if so is it an easy change over or is there more to it than just inserting new bushings?
what would be a normal charge for this service?

Teflon bushings are white. You cannot just replace the bushings, you have to change out all the parts. It will cost several thousand to do so.

By "several" are we talking 3,4 or more?

A lot of work is involved. All new parts including hammers, wippens, back checks, and hammer shanks, plus regulating, voicing, and labor. $4-5,500. And if the keys need rebushing, and they probably do, a little bit more, or you can possibly can get that included in the price of the job.

OoooEeeeeeeeee, that certainly effects the selling price doesn't it! That certainly makes the new Petrof or Estonia look a lot more inviting.

It takes time and money to make something like new again. Sometimes buying new, is the better answer. I'd vote for the Estonia.

Teflon bushings were a disaster for CBS, the Artist Consortium, and others who owned the company during that time. Beside the teflon bushings, Production standards were particularly low with new staff and owners. Even Yamaha resold the company over this issue. The present owner is not friendly to techs who wish to do repairs and are agressively protective of their dealers. Genuine Steinway parts are horrifically overpriced, and anything else may leave you open to legal problems if the value drops and the owner becomes unhappy over the project.I wouldn't touch it .

Exactly. That's why so mant techs use oher than OEM parts in rebuilds.

While teflon parts were a disaster, the idea in and of itself wasn't as bad as one might be led to believe. Most of the problems were related to poor initial installatio(too loose)by undertrained techs in the factory, and techs in the field who were left clueless as to the maintenance of them. The end result was alot of clacking in the action.

The bushings CAN be replaced with new teflon bushings. Steinway sells kits for such an operation. I haven't done the job myself, but I know a few techs who have. It's doable. It wouldn't be cheap, but certainly cheaper than a whole new action!

A Steinway with teflon bushings is not going to fall apart, and may not have any problems at all. I concur with those who say not to worry about it, take care of any problems that may arise, and when it is time to replace the parts for some other reason, replace them.

Possibly, but problems with those bushings are well documented and I do not care to anticipate an early repair of that expense. Since Steinway has their parts set at such a high price I am going to keep my sights on the Estonia/Petrof line. If it was a much earlier instrument I would probably consider it.

Teflon will keep your pancakes from sticking,
but Getting the batter onto the action is quite hard.

Actually, Steinway parts are not much more than other comparable parts, and the problems with Teflon are easier to deal with that the problems with Petrofs and Estonias made during the same period. Steinway changed the design, and later ones are less problematic than earlier ones. Also, they are less likely to develop problems as time goes on. If it bothers you, you should not get one. But one should realize that the problem is not with the piano.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BDB:
Actually, Steinway parts are not much more than other comparable parts, and the problems with Teflon are easier to deal with that the problems with Petrofs and Estonias made during the same period. Steinway changed the design, and later ones are less problematic than earlier ones. Also, they are less likely to develop problems as time goes on. If it bothers you, you should not get one. But one should realize that the problem is not with the piano. [/QUOTE

I would not even consider an earlier Petrof or Estonia only the later ones. The 5 grand or more to change them out does bother me unless The initial cost is so low as to be worthwhile to go thru all of the mental anguish to have a change-over of that magnitude done.

I agree with BDB...

I maintain many Steinways with teflon bushings. All are in good working condition and stable. Have been for many years. I have replaced teflon bushings. It is not difficult for someone with experience.

BTW, you only replace a bushing if it becomes problematic. And you only replace that one.

OEM Steinway parts are readily available. The companys parts dept is helpful and VERY responsive.

Sounds like you should be looking for a quality experienced tech you can trust and work with.