Repair and rebuilding

[Sy Zabrocki]

List--from Sy Zabrocki
I was amused by this post from Susan Kline. She describes a situation where some tech suggests $1000 action work when all it needed was new hammer shank. At the end of the post Susan says Sheesh! That's even not a word--you couldn't use it in scrabble. Yet I knew very well what it means.

When a situation is so absurd, it's appropriate to say Sheesh! It works. Now I'll post another Sheesh.

I'm on a Lester spinet and the action rattles something terrible. All the hammer and whippen flanges are loose. While preparing to pull the action I notice all new plastic elbows. Oh yes, the lady says, another tuner put those on last year. He took the action home and kept it for a month. This guy stuffed the action back in without tightening action screws. Sheeesh! Also make sure the damper rod doesn' t squeak. 

Sy Zabrocki--RPT
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From: 	Susan Kline[SMTP:skline@proaxis.com]
Sent: 	Wednesday, June 04, 1997 3:11 PM
To: 	pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: 	Re: Repair and rebuilding/Jim Coleman,Sr.

List --

The worst example of "perfectionist estimation" that I've encountered
happened to a choir director with a fine old Mason & Hamlin upright. Middle
C was not working, and B and C# were jamming. She called a tuner (whose name
I luckily never found out) from a neighboring city, because a friend had
told her that her piano was very good, and she should be careful of whom she
got to work on it. OVER THE PHONE, this person listened to the complaints,
decided the action was worn out, and estimated it would take $1000 to fix
it. Not having $1000 to spare, she put up with the three bad notes, and
taught on the piano for SIX MONTHS before the father of one of her students
convinced her to call me. 

ONE HAMMER SHANK and less than 24 hours later, all was well again.

Sheesh ...

Susan

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At 09:19 PM 6/4/97 EDT, you wrote:
>List and Jim
>
>Agree with your observations entirely. The only thing that gripes me is
>that I wouldn't have been able to write it so succinctly....you devil!
>
>I have known technicians through the years that would absolutely refuse a
>job when the customer's finances wouldn't permit a complete do-over. But
>there has always been another tech following behind willing to do as the
>customer requested with the understanding that the instrument would
>certainly not be perfect when he finished. 
>
>It's good in a lot of ways to be a perfectionist. It's probably been
>taught to most of us
>when learning. However common sense must prevail. I have never met the
>customer who has said to me, "Make it like new at any cost!". We can only
>do the best job we can within the parameters of our expertise and the
>price the customer is willing or able to pay.
>
>Ralph Martin
>
>
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Susan Kline
P.O. Box 1651
Philomath, OR 97370
skline@proaxis.com

"Anything is good if it's made of chocolate."
			--Ashleigh Brilliant