Page 43 - Mothmageddon

JONATHAN BERLIAND & GRAHAM WARREN
they can’t see them. The felt which they love so much is only visi- ble once the keys (and action) are removed: the back-touch and/or balance rail baizes.
Many pianos have some sign of moths, even if the felt hasn’t been touched yet. Piano tuners say they’re often tough to detect unless the instrument is thoroughly stripped down. Very rarely are they seen flying around.
This is something that John Kelly, owner of The Piano Shop Bath (www.thepianoshopbath.co.uk), knows all too well.
In 2015 they were called upon to assess some major moth damage to a grand piano in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. He says:
“The grand piano had been held in inadequate storage for a number of years and hadn’t been maintained so unfortunately had become badly infested with moths. Our piano technician Marc found that the moths had eaten through hammers, damper felts and all soft materials.
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