Pitch raise

[DaleP34429@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-04-04 01:57:00 EST, you write:

<<  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.
  >>
Howdy Jeff,

Have to agree with you on this one partner. We have found Technical Bulletin
#1 Pitch Raising to be a time saving tool. After 15 years of giving the speil
I have found that handing someone printed matter works even better! Always
good to hear from the "far west".

Dale Probst
Registered Piano Technician
Ward & Probst, Inc.
Piano & Organ Service
Wichita Falls, TX