Pianotech

  • 1.  PTJ article? Strange things in pianos?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 12-22-2023 14:54

    Someone suggested that the interesting replies from a recent post (about finding a magnetic pencil under a grand plate) might make a worthwhile PTJ article.

    Here goes:

    We could send in our stange findings here or you could send them to me and I can compile them into an article.

    I need your name to go with each item.



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    Blaine Hebert RPT
    Duarte CA
    (626) 390-0512
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  • 2.  RE: PTJ article? Strange things in pianos?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 12-23-2023 13:32
    Tuning an upright in a teenage boy's bedroom. Pulled the bottom board to adjust pedals and found a small video camera and a half empty bottle of vodka. Closed bottom board.  

    Greg Graham






  • 3.  RE: PTJ article? Strange things in pianos?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 12-23-2023 17:05
    Working on a Baldwin Hamilton,
    Under the keys, completely filling the bass and tenor sections of the keyframe very neatly were rows of jujube dates. My client’s parents came from Korea and had planted the date tree in the backyard. My guess was an enterprising mouse or chipmunk was stashing the dates for the future. Very reminiscent of the wooden drawers used by Chinese herbal pharmacies to store their dry herbs.

    Joe Wiencek NYC.




  • 4.  RE: PTJ article? Strange things in pianos?

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 12-23-2023 21:43

    Customer had this old upright in his garage. Moved it there because a couple of notes weren't playing. I opened it up and found a 50,000 Lira coin. The excitement died quickly when I found that it was only worth about 50¢.

    Another customer whose piano I serviced regularly had a couple notes in the middle that were making funny rattling noises. I opened it up and  found something the young daughter had lost, and missed. It was looking right at me, sort of laughing at having been discovered in its hiding place. Daughter was glad to have it back. 



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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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