[CAUT] tuning pins on a Samick

[Gary Mushlin]

Dan,

My reply was meant for you. It appears I addressed it to Don.

I like Ron's approach as well. However, I wouldn't personally go as  
far as offer a new pinblock for free, if that is what Ron meant.  
Besides for not feeling it a necessary step, for me, that would be  
"bluffing," considering that I would not do it, and I am a terrible  
bluffer. In other words, don't offer it unless you are willing to do  
it. I won't argue whether you should or should not offer it, as I  
don't think there is one correct answer for everybody. Other than  
that, I think Ron explained the workings better than I did.

Sincerely,
Gary Mushlin, MME, RPT


On Feb 5, 2007, at 11:56 AM, Ron Nossaman wrote:

>
>
> I know I can be as dense as the next guy, plenty denser than some,  
> and intermittently denser than everyone, but I don't see how it's  
> physically possible to whack big chips out of the underside of a  
> pinblock that has a heavy backing block jacked up under it. The too  
> long pins will put dents in the jack plate (as I'm a witless to),  
> but there's no way the block will delaminate unless it's  
> unsupported directly under where the pin is being driven. Some part  
> of the description of how this happened is missing.
>
> I agree that block replacement is in order.... But...
>
> The pins were already too loose. Driving them deeper wasn't the  
> best approach, considering that you intended to drive ALL of them.  
> If the piano is (was before this) under warranty, Samick should  
> have been contacted either with, or for a recommendation on how to  
> proceed. At this stage, your options are limited. From a mechanical  
> perspective, the bottom of the tuning pin hole is typically under  
> nearly no stress at all. The vast majority of the normal stuff that  
> makes the system work happens in the top half of the block. That  
> being the case, you have a possible bail out. Tell the customer  
> what happened. Show them the damage. Plead insanity. Tell them  
> you'll replace the block if you have to, and offer them an  
> alternative attempt first. CA what's there. It'll likely work, and  
> I expect you won't find any real differences in function or feel  
> between uncrunched sections, and crunched sections, because the top  
> half of the block should still be solid enough for the CA to work.  
> Explain that if it doesn't work, you'll definitely replace the  
> block, and give them a chance to extend a little mercy. They may,  
> or may not. People can be amazingly forgiving when you level with  
> them, and in your favor is the understanding that the block wasn't  
> exactly perfect in the first place or the pins wouldn't have been  
> loose.
>
> Be candid, be thorough, be sincere, keep the theater to a minimum,  
> and you might end up with a relatively easy escape and a loyal  
> lifetime customer out of this. Oh, and no charge for the CA and  
> tuning, naturally.
>
> Good luck,
> Ron N