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Although quality pianos are
"built to last a lifetime," the "touch" and efficiency of the
keyboard changes over time because of the wear of felt, leather, and
cloth parts, and because the pressure exerted on "center pins"
turning in cloth bushings when the keys are depressed may cause the
moving parts to wear unevenly. Additionally, wood parts warp
and shrink over time, causing screws to loosen. Consequently,
at regular intervals, maintenance adjustments should be made,
moving parts should be lubricated, screws should be tightened, and
malfunctioning parts should be replaced in order to maintain the
piano at peak performance. The cost of these improvements is
well worth the investment, because they will result in a
longer-lasting, more reliable piano.
Once
every 10 to 20 years, the expert piano technician should clean the
piano interior, remove the piano action for reconditioning, tighten
all cabinet screws, and conduct a complete "regulation" of the
piano's adjustments. Reconditioning the action might include
cleaning and lubricating all parts, reshaping or replacing hammers,
installing new bridle tapes (uprights) or knuckles (grands), and
tightening all action screws. Regulation adjustments might
include correcting the hammer blow distance, reducing "lost motion,"
spacing and adjusting key height and dip, correcting letoff
(uprights), letoff and drop (grands), and adjusting spring tension
(grands). If necessary, worn underkey punchings and bolster
cloth are replaced at this time, and worn or chipped keytops can be
replaced. The cost of action reconditioning and regulating can
vary from as little as $300 or as high as $2,000 depending on the
work involved and the cost of new
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