Eavestaff-worth reconditioning?

stevnp · Post by **stevnp** » 24 Apr 2005, 08:30

Hi, I have an Eavestaff MiniRoyal piano from 1962-1966 in teak.

Some strings are missing (5), all from the mid treble (3 unison strings).
Also 3 hammers appear to have been patched up with thread, presumably having cracked/broken.
A few keys need levelling, and it's about a quarter tone flat across the range of the instrument, (last tuned a year or so ago, previously has been tuned every 6 months since new).
A small piece of the laminate has come up, probably only needs a drop of glue. Some of the laminate looks a little dry-can I oil satin teak veneer, and if so how?
And no matching stool.

Question is, what sort of money am I looking at to get this piano into good playing condition, I mean is it going to be ?100-ish or ?1000-ish and given the instrument's value would it be worth it?
Also where would I get a matching stool?
Thanks,
Steve

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 24 Apr 2005, 13:59

The Royal ones tend to go for £700 to £900 in shop in the north in good condition, as to repairing yours the problem with all drop actions is the time it take to get them in and out and the can of worms you encounter I would not recommend spending more than £500 on it but it is hard to say with out looking at the piano prices about are based on the north of England

Barrie,

stevnp · Post by **stevnp** » 24 Apr 2005, 21:00

Thanks Barrie for the info.
I just wondered if someone could give me an idea of approximate cost-assuming there aren't other problems- of:
replacing the missing 5 strings; replacing 4 mid treble (tenor?) hammer heads; levelling about 5 keys and a single tuning from 1/4 tone flat.
I know it will be more expensive as it's a drop action.
Many thanks,
Steve.

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 22 May 2005, 20:47

Eavestaff Minis and Kemble Minxes of your vintage suffer from a general crapness of quality in the glue used to form the hammerheads. If a few of yours are held on with thread, then more will likely go the same way.

A new set of hammerheads or a quality recovering job will be required. That'll swallow a chunk of your 500 quid.......

PG

stevnp · Post by **stevnp** » 25 May 2005, 03:27

Thanks Pianoguy. Yes the heads had separated from the wood. I'm tempted to replace the hammerheads myself to save money-what do you think; also rebushing keys, again can this be done by a non-expert?
Steve

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 25 May 2005, 06:48

Hmmmm.....

I'm not one to sanction DIY piano work, but I guess you could dismantle the action yourself, contact one of the piano parts people listed on this site, and get them to do difficult work.

David Fry Piano Services or Fletcher and Newman could certainly recover the hammerheads and do the rebushing; they're both very helpful and nice to deal with, but I'm not sure they do non-trade work.

Once the parts have been refurbished and you've assembled them, I still think you'll need a tuner/technician to regulate the whole shebang. It may be cheaper to get him/her to do the job in the first place.

One of the many books on the subject can instruct you in key bushing. It's more to do with common sense and neatness than neurophysics, and a pair of specialist easing pliers would be required to finish the job, but you'd need a hammer press to do the hammer recovering. A commercial one was about 20,000 quid the last I looked, but I once heard of someone who knocked one up at home with a few off-cuts of battleship he nicked off the MOD whilst he was in the Merchant Navy and a Calor gas burner. This however takes more time, skill and chutzpah than most of us are blessed with, and a small Eavestaff simply isn't worth it!!!

Your budget is likely to be exceeded whichever route you take....

PG