fun at the piano store!

[Charly Tuner]

Hi Bill,

I will be at the next LA seminar/meeting presided over by Virgil Smith. It 
will be at Field's piano store in W. LA on 4/15/2000, from 8:30am to 5pm. 
Hopwe to see ya there!

Terry

>From: Bdshull@AOL.COM
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>To: pianotech@ptg.org
>Subject: Re: fun at the piano store!
>Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 14:18:31 EST
>
>Hi, Terry:
>
>A couple of ideas:  You might log humidity from day to day in the store.  
>Use
>the Radio Shack humidity gauge (temperature too, especially if the piano is
>sitting in the sun), or one you can buy from Schaff.  Put this info on your
>billings to the dealer.   Of course the piano is new anyway, and will be
>going out bigtime because of this - even a new Yamaha.  Also, if the C5 had
>gotten some heavy playing you expect unisons to go, also.  Very fast when
>new, no matter how hard you work on setting pins/strings.  You should see 
>the
>new lease pianos at the university!  Same thing.
>
>Everyone has their own stories about Yamaha pianos and pitch instability - 
>A
>teacher's two C3's, same age, side by side, one rock stable, the other
>constantly moving, even 10 years later.  Why?  I believe the soundboard
>movement is a factor (rising and falling with humidity swings, as on any
>piano but more so with a new piano).  The pinblock fit at the flange has 
>been
>labeled the culprit, and many technicians have driven hardwood shims 
>between
>the flange and the block, with reported success (never helped me any).  I
>understood that Yamaha was more concerned with the block/webbing fit then 
>the
>block flange fit, so you might make sure that the pinblock screws are not 
>too
>loose, also.  I bet Roger will have some good things to say about this.
>
>Missed you at the Pomona Valley PTG meeting last Monday!  Hope you might 
>make
>it sometime - we would love to hear your store tuning stories, problems and
>solutions!
>
>Bill Shull
>University of Redlands, La Sierra University, Riverside City College
>
>
>In a message dated 3/17/00 9:55:34 AM Pacific Standard Time,
>charly_tuner@hotmail.com writes:
>
><< Hi all,
>
>  Well, I just finished logging my FIRST month as a floor tuner! All's 
>going
>  great with 65+ pianos tuned in that time. I've been averaging about 15+
>  pianos per week , 4 days per week. About 1/3 include a pitch raise. In 
>this
>  time I have also been asked to regulate and/or make minor repairs in some 
>of
>  our older trade-in stock, as well as some our new "less than top of the 
>line
>  models" which has been a real education!
>  About a week ago, I tuned a new Yamaha C5, and after I was finished, I
>  played it for a while and made sure it was stable, and sought out any 
>stray
>  unisons and so on. i left that piano in solid tune. I reported for work, 
>as
>  usual this past Monday, only to be asked by the General Manager: "Are you
>  making sure that you 'set the pins' when you're tuning?" Now I thought 
>this
>  was a silly question, tantamount to asking a limo driver if he "remembers 
>to
>  disengage the emergency brake before he starts driving" but I said that I
>  did, indeed. He then informed me that the SAME C5 (which I had tuned), 
>was
>  now sounding "terrible", so he had the other tuner (who is much more
>  experienced than I, "re-tune" it. I thought to myself.."oh boy, this does
>  NOT make me look good." But I COULD NOT understand how a piano could "go
>  out" so fast! Yes, there is NO climate/humidity control of ANY kind, but
>  still the piano should not have gone out so fast. So...YESTERDAY I walked
>  into the (cold) studio where it is on display and decided to play each 
>note
>  on the piano; chromatically from A0 to C8..GUESS WHAT??? almost EVERY 
>UNISON
>  WAS O U T !!!!!!!!!!!! AGAIN! I immediately brought this to the attention 
>of
>  the manager, hoping this would prove that my tuning was/is NOT suspect
>  afterall! He was a bit surprised, but it was clear that, for whatever 
>reason
>  that piano went out of tune only days after EACH of us had tuned it, the
>  culprit was not bad tuning, but either the piano itself not holding, or 
>more
>  likely because of wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
>
>  Terry
>   >>

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