Pitch raise

[David ilvedson]

> Date:          Fri, 04 Apr 1997 01:34:10 -0500 (EST)
> From:          TunerJeff@aol.com
> Subject:       Re: Pitch raise
> To:            pianotech@byu.edu
> Reply-to:      pianotech@byu.edu

Your brain is "fogged"...By the way I remember a long time ago
administering the PTG test for you while holding a wee little
bundle.  Do you remember?

David ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA

> Dear Folks,
>
> 1. Charge for pitch raises!
> 2. Explain why.
> 3. Re-tune in 30 days for large raises. 3 to 6 months for less drastic
> changes.
>
>     Pitch raises take extra time. We are helping the instrument recover from
> 2 to 60 years of neglected service...and we deserve to be paid for our time.
> I would suggest that we not only spend extra time with the instrument, we
> should also be spending extra time with the customer. The initial 'ballpark
> yank' takes me about 20 minutes tuning aurally or 25 to 30 minutes with the
> SAT2 (AccuTuner II), but the SAT pitch raise is more accurate on overpull,
> and often comes close to nailing the tuning quite well on the first pass. (I
> expect my tuning speeds with the SAT to improve, we're still getting
> aquainted.) I charge $15.00 for the pitch raise to help drive home the
> concept that I'm performing 'extra-duty' when called to tune a neglected
> instrument. And I spend an extra 5-7 minutes with the customer too!
>
>      When you take the time to explain that the average piano has 20+ tons of
> pressure on it from the string tension, you have a customer with a better
> understanding of WHY pianos need tuning. I explain it thus;
>       "The average piano has over 230 strings with a constant tension of some
> 160 to 200lbs. per string. If you make the math simple (200pins x
> 200lbs/tension), this works out to about 40,000 pounds of tension from the
> strings on the plate and frame of the piano. The piano lives with this
> enormous tension all it's life, and it's important to keep the tension
> balanced. Even pianos in museums get regular service to maintain them (as our
> current Guild President Marshall Hawkins is well-aware! He services the
> Smithsonian collection). As your piano hasn't been tuned for several years
> (insert appropriate decades...), I'll be adding new tension to the strings
> and frame, possibly several hundred pounds, and there will be some settling
> and re-adjustment.
>
>      This piano deserves to be tuned again in 30 days. The second tuning will
> be far more  stable... and we can discuss a regular schedule for your piano.
> We ask that you tune your piano at least once a year, and more often if it's
> used regularly by a student or professional musician (ie; Several hours per
> day). Most customers are on a 6-month or one-year tuning schedule. What seems
> appropriate to your piano use??"
>
>      My recall rate on the second tuning is outstanding. Last year, better
> than 4 out of 5 customers actually had the second tuning in 45 days or less.
> Of course, we do send a post-card reminder about 7 to 10 days before the next
> tuning is due (...hey! It works for the dentist! And the PTG has a few nifty
> ideas for reminder cards for Guild members, check your Journals.). I strongly
> believe that the explanation of 20+ tons of pressure in the piano helps us
> establish the need for the second tuning . Try it!
>
> Yah sure, it works...
> Jeffrey T. Hickey, RPT (Radical Piano Technophile)
> Oregon Coast Piano Services
> TunerJeff @ aol.com
>
> ps- Hey! Didn't the Yamaha Servicebond Card (that travels out with all their
> new critters) demand a second tuning in 30 days? Recently serviced a piano
> for 'em, and noted that this wasn't on the card. Is my memory totally fogged
> here??? Any of you dealer-folks remember the little box; "Re-tune 30
> days."???
> Thanks for the help.
>
>
ilvey, RPT
Pacifica, CA