I visited Berlin this spring, on my way to Vienna. While there I visited a small technician based Bosendorfer dealer in the former Eastern section. These guys have had the high level tech training typical of Europe trade crafts, studying and working at Bechstein.
They approach some things differently, for example they have a bass string making lathe. “Often it’s quicker just to make a string rather than wait for one to be ordered and delivered”…indeed, I’m sure it is.
They also approach European style pinblocks differently. Faced with a typical Bosendorfer or Bechstein pinblock replacement, most American rebuilders would get out the chain saw and remove it completely from the sides of the case, where it is glued and often screwed in.
Here they have a large, sophisticated multi purpose machine tool and rout out the pin field, replacing with pinblock material. They never remove the whole block. When I explained how we do it in the states, they stood there with their mouths open for a minute, then said “that is a lot of work”…indeed, it is.