To Voice or Not to Voice? [was Re: Baldwin hammers]

[Ray T. Bentley]

Dale, and others,

The client was specific in requesting that further voicing not be done.  It
had a warm and full sound throughout.  Yes, the client is still ecstatic
with the results now two years later.  As a matter of fact, recently she
told me that is wonnnnnnnnnnnderful!

The original post asked for a suggestion for hammers that might require
minimal voicing.  While I have had many other hammer replacements that
required various amounts of voicing, this is the suggestion I offered.  This
is not to be construed as my standard practice.

Respectfully,


Ray T. Bentley, RPT
Registered Piano Tuner-Technician
Alton, IL
ray@bentley.net
www.ray.bentley.net
----- Original Message -----
From: <Kdivad@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2002 4:40 PM
Subject: Re: To Voice or Not to Voice? [was Re: Baldwin hammers]


> In a message dated Sat, 10 Aug 2002 11:46:37 AM Eastern Standard Time,
diskladame@provide.net writes:
>
> > Ooooh, this could be a juicy topic!
> >
> > Hi Everyone!
> >
> > Who is to decide what the "optimal" tone is for a given piano?
>
>
> Exactly!!
>
>
>
> > It's a common occurrence -- the customer doesn't want the voicing
touched or tampered with in any way and we're driven crazy by the
possibilities in the name of optimal tone.  So ... how does one go about
enlightening the customer on this matter without intimidating them, leaving
them with the impression that there is something fundamentally wrong with
their piano or that the work we did (such as replacing the hammers) was
somehow substandard?
> >
> > Z! Reinhardt  RPT
> > Ann Arbor  MI
> > diskladame@provide.net
>
>
> WE don't, but see below.
>
>
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Erwinspiano@AOL.COM
> > To: pianotech@ptg.org
> > Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2002 10:36 AM
> > Subject: Re: Baldwin hammers
> >
> >
> >             Hi  Ray
> >
> >
> >            I say this with all due respect. While I'm aware this happens
and I guess the customers is always right since as it is there piano, but
that doesnt' mean the piano was producing  its optimal tone. It may mean
that the raw hammer was producing a better sound than what wa  heard before
and had they trusted your judgement a bit firther they would have had
something perhaps even more thrilling. I wonder if the treble is by now
producing the sounds of shattering glass or perhaps if you got a softer set
of renners as I did years ago. These are quality hammers but the ones I've
seen in recent years always needed  voicing especially in the money notes(5
and 6 octaves)
> >     Do you know if the client is still ecstatic?
> >           Best-----Dale
>
>
>
> I hear this sort of thing all the time.  The truth is, beauty is in the
ear of the beholder.  This is the same basic theme as telling a customer
what their piano is worth (as in, this piano is not worth rebuilding).  We
can suggest voicing a couple of hammers and letting them decide, but we
cannot decide what is right for them.  We can tell a customer what the
market value might be or that they may restore their piano but probably
never recoup the investment, but we cannot decide what the piano is worth to
them.
> I will never understand the tech who insists on trying to convince
customers his judgement is correct and theirs is not.  People can love a
piano and put a high value on it without rational reasoning.  People can
love a sound naively without the experience and knowledge we have.  Perhaps
in many instances it is better to not try to force more on them than they
are capable of with the hope they will become more sophisticated down the
road.
>
> David Koelzer
> Vintage Pianos
> DFW
>
>