Larry Fine's Piano Book questions

[MonksDream]

This weekend my wife and I took off to an island off the coast here (Salt Spring) for a few days of R&R. While in a used book store there I scored a copy of larry Fine's 'The Piano Book' signed by the author in '88! The book is every bit as good as it's reputed to be however I have some questions for the tuners and technicians here. Given that the book was published in '88 is there anything in it that's no longer applicable? Has the past 22 years seen any major changes in design and/or materials that one should be aware of when looking at pianos? It looks like I have the first edition; are the later editions different enough to make them must-buys? I'm assuming they'd be must-reads if one was looking to buy a piano.

[Joe Muscara]

There are probably technical changes since that edition. However, you might be better off looking at the manufacturer changes since then, which you can find in the Piano Buyer's Guide that he also publishes. You can buy the guide, or read it free online.

 

http://www.pianobuyer.com/

 

He hasn't actually updated The Piano Book since the fourth edition from January 2001.

[SK]

Of course, not this Larry Fine

 

http://www.stoogeworld.com/_Biographies/Larry.htm

[Bobadohshe]

The fundamentals from the book in '88 have changed little. A piano still works the same way and it mostly the same materials. Having said that, it would behoove you to check out the latest edition. The guts of the book are the same though.

[HAMEGZ]

I SO want to ask about Curlys' and Moes' theory books .....

 

BUT I know better

 

or do I?

 

darn I see SK beat me to it

[VLH]

the quality has gone up and down on various models. If you are looking at buying a new piano, you should get the latest info. When I narrowed my search down to a few pianos, I actually paid for a consult with Fine over the phone--he was invaluable in helping me thing through the final choice, the pros and cons of each option I was considering (restored Mason Hamlin 5'10 vs. new Schimmel 5'10 vs Petrof 6'4).

[Moonglow]

I SO want to ask about Curlys' and Moes' theory books .....

The book by Larry's brother ("Larry the Stooge in the Middle") is a great read. Moe's book ("Moe Howard and the Three Stooges") is pretty good too. Curly never wrote a book....

[MonksDream]

Thank, everyone, for your feedback. I figured things haven't changed that much in the world of piano building however it never hurts to check. I can't afford an acoustic piano right now but that doesn't mean I can't shop for one!

[JpScoey]

...Given that the book was published in '88 is there anything in it that's no longer applicable? Has the past 22 years seen any major changes in design and/or materials that one should be aware of when looking at pianos?

 

The basic design of both upright & grand pianos has changed very little over the last 100 years -

 

a few manufacturers have made small tweaks here & there, but basically its the same.....

 

if it ain't broke, don't fix it! The current piano action is as perfect as it's going to get.

 

If that wasn't the case, someone would have come up with something better by now.

 

The only 'radical' attempt at 'improvement' that I know of was by an Irish company (Lindner)

 

who, in the 1970's, although it was still based on the traditional design, used completely different

 

materials throughout (apart from the wooden soundboard)...all metal action parts, all plastic keys

 

with a stupid plastic flange & spring mechanism which 'clicked' into the balance rail.

 

This was especially problematic, 'cos these flanges/springs were constanly breaking, & 'cos

 

the company quickly went out of business and the parts were unique,

 

replacement parts were as rare as hens teeth.

 

This turned out to be a nightmare for us technicians & owners alike.

 

 

In summary, I think all the other piano makers took heed of this, & stayed with the tried-&-tested.

[Joe Muscara]

Thank, everyone, for your feedback. I figured things haven't changed that much in the world of piano building however it never hurts to check. I can't afford an acoustic piano right now but that doesn't mean I can't shop for one!

I'm in the same boat (so I'm lucky that I "inherited" a small grand). Unfortunately, piano salespeople can be like their car counterparts. At least the good ones will let you "test drive" for a while without bugging you. I was comparing two 9' Steinway Ds as well as a B, an A, and an O, I think, the other day. That was fun. I actually liked the A better than the B, but I don't know if that would apply to all As and Bs or just those two. It could be the B wasn't voiced right or something. (Steinway As are 6'2", Bs are 6'10.5". Some say they are 6' vs. 7' as most people usually round the length. In fact, a D is 8'11.75".) I also tried some Bostons they had, but didn't like them as much as I would have hoped. I'm not sure why, but but the action and the tone weren't speaking to me.

 

Piano shopping and comparison is hard, but fun.

 

Please feel free to talk about your shopping experiences here, if you wish. I know there's another forum that's more focused on that subject, but I'm more interested in a casual conversation about our experiences. I'd like to be able to gather impressions from people I know better as well as keep my knowledge about the subject honed a bit. Also, there are a few people on here that are tuners and such so there's knowledge here.

 

In summary, I think all the other piano makers took heed of this, & stayed with the tried-&-tested.

I'm sure you know Kawai has been using "plastic" actions for nearly 40 years in nearly all of their models.

[JpScoey]

In summary, I think all the other piano makers took heed of this, & stayed with the tried-&-tested.

I'm sure you know Kawai has been using "plastic" actions for nearly 40 years in nearly all of their models.

 

Yes Joe - many manufacturers have replaced various wooden parts with varying degrees of success over the years.

 

The one thing we do know is that the traditional wooden parts, if properly cared for,

 

will last 100 years or more.

 

Plastic parts?... well only time will tell.

 

One problem I've encoutered in my experience (28 years), is that a common repair is when the (particulary)

 

hammer or jack bushings become worn (loose).

 

In a wooden action it's simple to replace the centre-pin with a larger one,

 

& the wood will 'absorb' that change in size 'cos of its 'spongy-ness'.

 

With plastic parts this is sometimes an issue &, because of its lack of flexibility,

 

you have to 're-bush' (or 're-felt') the flange - which is a lot more time-consuming

 

(ie: more costly to the customer).

 

PS: Kawai do still use wooden keys / hammer shanks etc, etc .