Verituner For Sale (long)

[Keith Hamilton]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Hamilton" <tuner@zoominternet.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2002 7:06 PM
Subject: Verituner For Sale


> For sale - Verituner 100. Latest updates installed.
> Used very little over the past 6 or 8 weeks. $1350
> Just not my cup of tea. Hurry!
>
>
> Keith M. Hamilton, RPT
> w8gx@arrl.net
>
>

  > Keith wrote:
  > << Just not my cup of tea. >>
  >
  > Greetings,
  >
  >       I would hope that a technical forum is a good place for
professional
  > experiences to be made valuable to many people at once, instead of just
  > ourselves.   I, for one, would like to know more about the cons of this
  > machine, having not made up my mind to change from the SAT.
  >     So far, I have heard great things, but every coin has two sides.
The
  > reason the vast majority of techs don't use it, (yet) could be because
of
  > various reasons;  doesn't fit with work habits, won't work, life
philosophy,
  > ego, co$t, ergonomics or inertia,  whatever, and I would like to know
why
  > this was the wrong tea.??
  > REgards,
  > Ed

  I would second that emotion.... all of it as a matter of fact. :)


>I would also like to know why you didn't like this device.  The more candid
you are, the >better.  If it is just personal for you because you are a
practiced aural tuner, for example
> and just don't want the darn thing, then let us know.  Otherwise,
*Enquiring* minds want
> to know *why* this tea's flavor displeased you.  We've now gone from
"stunning tuning", >everybody should get one to someone selling one as
unsuitable.  There can never be too >much information or too many opinions
on this.

>Bill Bremmer RPT
>Madison, Wisconsin
>Click here: -=w w w . b i l l b r e m m e r . c o m =-


Well I guess I have opened a can of worms here. Let me
start by saying that the Verituner hardware is well built,
will last a long time and it gives good to excellent
tunings depending on how it is used.

I also must give my background. I am a second generation
tuner who started tuning later in life after having years
in another profession. I learned from my RPT father to tune
aurally. (He will NEVER own an ETD!) I became competent
enough to pass the RPT exams (aurally and visually) and began
to use a ETD because I was basically insecure about my ability
to tune well for my customers. I went out and bought an SAT 2
and then RCT 2.5, 3.0, then 3.5. I have tried TuneLab Pocket
(yes I also own a Pocket PC and am w-a-i-t-i-n-g for RCT Pocket).

I then purchased an SAT III which was my primary ETD.

I began lately to get dissatisfied with my tuning. ( I was calculating
a tuning then going from A0 to C8 using only the machine to tune
all the piano and tuning unisons as I went.) I was not
happy with the results 30% of the time (I must mention that this
was mostly on smaller, fair to poorly scaled pianos.) I was
pleased that my ears were getting good enough to tell a great
tuning from a so-so one after several years of tuning. A couple
of months ago, to try to solve my problem, and get 100%
satisfaction, I decided to try the Verituner.

About this same time, I did a search in this lists archives and
found a couple of interesting comments from Jim Coleman Sr. about
tuning with the SAT III using aural checking to confirm the
SAT III tuning and the proper use of the DOB function about which
I had been clueless up to now. I emailed Jim Coleman and he sent me
a very detailed procedure he uses to tune with the SAT III.
(THANK YOU, JIM !!!!!! )

I have found that, using what I learned from Jim and combining it
with the knowledge I already had from aural and ETD tuning,  I am
getting better tunings (still not 100% satisfaction but a LOT
closer!). My job satisfaction has increased ten times (or more!)
due to the fact that I feel like a "tuner" again and not just a
slave to my ETD calculated tuning. So I am faced with the decision
about what ETD to keep and which to sell (I think I have more money
than brains :)  Or maybe more credit???)

Here is MHO, your mileage may vary.

RCT laptop computers are a pain to carry around and plug in.
The hard drives and other hardware is destined to eventually
fail (hopefully later rather than sooner). The interface is SO
user friendly that a lot of customers question whether you are
worth what they are paying you. (I am probably too sensitive
about this). I dislike the idea of using hardware designed for
other functions and putting it to work as a ETD. This is why I
do not like the Tunelab and probably will not like RCT Pocket.
Hardware that is designed for piano tuning SHOULD do a better job, IMHO.

So I am left with a choice between SAT III and Verituner.

I am SO incouraged by using aural checking ALONG WITH an ETD
tuning that I have opted to keep my SAT III. It is lighter and
the battery lasts longer (60 hours vs. 12) The VERITUNER can
feel heavy after a full day of carring it around. The Verituner
interface (screen etc.) is easier to learn and more user friendly.
But I find that I have used my SAT III long enough to undersand
and have an easy time with the user interface.

As far as tuning goes I was getting dissatisfied with the single
partial tuning curve that the SAT and RCT use and hoped the
Verituner would give me a way out. The VT does use a different
(better?) approach but I find this fault with the VT. To give its
best machine calculated (without aural checking) tuning the VT
needs to have SOME information prior to tuning (just as SAT and RCT)
NOTE :You CAN tune from A4 and do NO pre-measuring with the VT
as advertized. The tunings are BETTER when you pre-measure either
through a pitchraise or sampling notes before starting. I therefore
find NO advantage in this respect to using the VT over the others
when it comes to premeasuring.

Are the calculated tunings better than the RCT or SAT III on
challanging (small) pianos? YES! Are they better than I can get
using SAT III along with aural techniques and checking? Depends on
my ear that day, but I would say that with time and training, NO.

I have decided to keep the SAT III, work on my aural techniques,
and be a "happer" tuner not a machine calculated tuner. I feel I
will get more job satisfaction in the long run.

Who knows? I may even get up enough confidence to go back to
aural only tunings! Wouldn't that be something!

Questions?  Have my reasons been made clear?
If not --- ASK! (these are my opinions and my opinions ONLY)

Keith Hamilton, RPT
Youngstown, OH
w8gx@arrl.net