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Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

  • 1.  Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-19-2018 11:54
    What's a reasonable time estimate to remove and replace a set of bass strings? This is a 175 with 50 strings total.

    I have a good deal of experience in stringing, but it's been a long time since I did a whole set. A range of hours would be helpful.

    -Cy- 

    Cy Shuster, RPT
    Albuquerque, NM
    505-265-4234 (work)
    505-226-1811 (cell)

    www.shusterpiano.com



  • 2.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-19-2018 13:26
    Cy

    I would allow about 3 hours to remove and install a set of bass strings. Add an hour if you're also going to take off the dampers, and put them back on. But then you have to add 3 or 4 return trips to tune them again.

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    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
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  • 3.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Member
    Posted 10-19-2018 15:12
    According to Joe Garrett's "G Works Repair Labor Guide" he says to allow 4 hours to install a new set of bass strings in a grand less than 7 feet long, not including new tuning pins. 
    7 to 9 feet, not including tuning pins: 5 hours.
    Or if the job includes new tuning pins and two separate tunings in the home, it's 9 hours for the shorter grands and 10 hours for the big ones.
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    jason's cell 425 830 1561





  • 4.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Posted 10-19-2018 17:38
    I  have always preferred and nowadays insist to have the piano in the shop for a full install of  bass strings  esp. if new damper felts are part of the package  so a roundtrip move of the piano  generally adds  around $650 to the estimate, but you have everything familiar there in the shop, take your time , and can do multiple  tunings on the new strings to stabilize them and   all necessary regulation and have the piano back to the client in a week.

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    Martin Snow
    Boston MA
    617-543-1030
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  • 5.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-20-2018 01:48
    It's more time than you think depending on what you do in conjunction.

    Remove dampers: .5 hours
    Remove bass strings: 1 hour
    Measure for new set and place order: 2 hours (if the customer helps move the tape)
    Refelt string rest areas: 1 hour
    Replace agraffes: 1 hour
    instsll new set: 3 hours (I don't think it takes any longer if you are replacing the tuning pins).
    install dampers and regulate: 1 hour (consider replacing the damper felt as well in that section)
    Tune and stabilize by hand stretching the strings (use cotton gloves for handling art, thin); .75 hours
    Tune entire piano: 1 hour
    Check hammer string mating, lift and level strings.  .5 hours
    Revisit 2-3 times to touch up tuning 1.5 hours not counting travel

    That's potentially more than 13 hours.

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    David Love RPT
    www.davidlovepianos.com
    davidlovepianos@comcast.net
    415 407 8320
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  • 6.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Posted 10-20-2018 09:09
    As David Love demonstrates, replacing bass strings offers a once-in-a-lifetime (for the piano owner) opportunity to upgrade or degrade the quality of the piano.
    I've had the sad occasion of tuning several pianos after a fellow whose bargain priced routine was" pull 'em off, send 'em to the string company for duplication and put on the new ones with oversized pins." Loud and shiny is not a good standard for new bass strings.
    A well-scaled set of strings, as made by our best string makers today, is worth the cost and trouble of doing the best possible.

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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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  • 7.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-20-2018 10:14
    Yes, I wouldn't think of replacing a set of bass strings without an examination of the scale by a qualified and experienced, custom string maker. That means measuring all the A&B lengths of each string and preparing that data to be sent off.

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    David Love RPT
    www.davidlovepianos.com
    davidlovepianos@comcast.net
    415 407 8320
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  • 8.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-20-2018 11:46
    Great post David. I could not agree more. Also, in many cases it may be prudent to check for loose bridge pins, (tap lightly????) and possibly drip a tad of CA around the base of the pins-CAREFULLY.

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    [Kevin] [Fortenberry] [RPT]
    [Staff Techician]
    [Texas Tech Univ]
    [Lubbock] [TX]
    [8067783962]
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  • 9.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-21-2018 00:29
    Absolutely! When you have the strings off the piano you should be doing everything that you can't do without taking the strings off the piano, otherwise it's not really a complete job.

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    David Love RPT
    www.davidlovepianos.com
    davidlovepianos@comcast.net
    415 407 8320
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  • 10.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-21-2018 01:21
    The thread is a good one because it reminds us that we tend to underestimate the time to do a job properly.  That may be driven by our desire to deliver something at a price we deem will be acceptable to the customer.  When we do that we often find ourselves having to choose between doing the job properly and thoroughly and meeting the perceived limits of the customer’s budget (those limits are frequently of our own making).

    Moreover, what makes the job a quality job are those seemingly unrelated items that we can only do, as in this case, when the strings are off the piano, or when we are hanging a new set of hammers, or replacing damper felt... Generally we should alaways start with what is required to do the job correctly and thoroughly, addressing all the items that are related to our project and that we have an opportunity to address by virtue of the main project we are undertaking. Those items, if left undone, will invariably require a duplication of work when we have to address them later and produce an inferior outcome in the short term if we ignore them.

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    David Love RPT
    www.davidlovepianos.com
    davidlovepianos@comcast.net
    415 407 8320
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  • 11.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-21-2018 11:35
    Maybe add another 1 to 1.5 to rebush the damper guide rail and polish the damper wires?

    --
    Scott Cole, Registered Piano Technician
    Serving Southern Oregon and Northern California
    (541)601-9033

    PTG Journal Editorial Staff/TTT (Tips, Tools & Techniques)





  • 12.  RE: Labor to replace a set of bass strings?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-23-2018 11:13
    I do a fair amount of installing new, rescaled bass strings on existing pins. I also find stringing on existing pins adds quite a bit of time compared to new pins and strings. Sadly, I can't do either of these things as fast as Joe Garrett's wonderful book. I always remove dampers, too easy to damage things with them in the way. 

    If you haven't experienced how much most small and medium sized pianos can be improved by utilizing Hydrid Wire Scale protocols; you haven't lived! LONG LIVE THE HYBRIDS!

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    Edward McMorrow
    Edmonds WA
    425-299-3431
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