Pianos are wonderful and even when the soundboard is no longer viable, the ebony and ivory on the pre World War II keys can be recycled for such things as other pianos but they can also be used by Luthiers making guitars, mandolins, lutes and other stringed instruments for inlay and frets. Soundboards are aged lumber that can be used for all kinds of wonderful things. The same wood is used in the making of fine guitars. I know a luthier who is given soundboards when pianos are rebuilt. Also there are many woods that are now illegal to sell or import. That's why those folks watch the antique furniture market for exotic woods that can be recycled for musical instruments. I have some small rosewood and teak bookends that are really nothing more than a half inch 4x6 plank. Over the years they have worn out as bookends but our community luthier came by and said "Brazilian Rosewood, I can use this", so I gave it to him. You can no longer import it. See article:
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/famed-guitar-maker-raided-by-fe deral-agents/ In the Arts, it's a crime to let something go to waste. We should protect the elephants and other ivory sources but we shouldn't just throw away the small shards that continue to be a part of the making of music and the honoring of the trees and animals who were sacrificed for the beauty of sound. Petroleum products are not nearly as good and they too will become rare after a while. If we use what we need and no more I suspect a lot of the destruction would go away. Or maybe I'm naive. REH -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mike Spencer Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 1:36 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Futurework] Re: Seratonin and Dopamine, the best. > Meanwhile in America, > > For More Pianos, Last Note Is Thud in the Dump Jeez, we got our first piano just last year, a Mason & Risch upright. Due to poor planning, it cost 3 times as much to get it moved as to buy it. The previous owner asked around and was told the it had no value or, at best was worth $200 so he asked us for $200. After we committed to buying it but before it was delivered, a net search revealed that the company had been one of the two best piano makers in Canada from the 1890s to around 1950 when they were borged by a US firm. Piano tuners alluded to their pianos made after that as "nice furniture". We were then apprehensive that we'd bought a massive boat anchor. Upon delivery, a search of the serial number revealed that our piano was made late in the 1890s. It appears to have had professional restoration at some point and is just wonderful. Not, I think, in concert tune but very nice for a couple of musical amateurs to noodle around on. Trashing a real piano (unless, perhaps, it one of the "nice furniture" grade) horrifies me. I even cringed at trashing an upright that someone had stored with me, one with a wooden harp that had twisted visibly out of shape with no possibility of repair. Same fate is befalling reed organs as well. - Mike -- Michael Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada .~. /V\ [email protected] /( )\ http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/ ^^-^^ _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
