---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Thanks to all who responded. Lots of good advice there! I always give customers the PTG pamphlets on pitch raising and regulation. The "gentleman" seems to want to remain ignorant as to why his piano wasn't stable. I called him today to set a time, and he began to tell me that there was a funny noise in the piano, and that the bass was out of tune. I reiterated that it wouldn't surprise me, given the neglect that he'd heaped on it. I arrived at the house, and only the non-English speaking mother-in-law was there. I played a bit, and noticed--not at all surprisingly--that many of the unisons in the temperament and mid treble had gone a bit south.I touched up a couple. Don't know why I did that. The bass sounded as good as it could in a 5'1" piano grand piano. Then I heard the buzz. I could not isolate the sound without an assistant to hit it while I hunted for it, so with some sign language, I enlisted the aid of the Mother-in-law. Within about 10 seconds I located a piece of lego on the soundboard near the end of the long bridge. Removed. Sound gone. It was then that I noticed that the window it is next to is a single-paned window, and that there was an open heater duct directly underneath the tail of the piano. I called the *********** and politely pointed out that there was a foreign object on the soundboard, and that it had been removed. I gave him the word on the effect of heat and moisture on pianos. He proceeded on as if he had never heard me, saying that the teacher had said what a good job I do on pianos. He continued on that the bass sounded out of tune. I guess being ignorant makes it easy to be a jerk. I told him to have the teacher call me. I understand that he is an idiot who is trying to get something for nothing, and is impossible to reason with. If he calls me again, I will recommend the worst cowboy tooner that I know of. As if by magic, my next job was about 5 houses away, and it was tuning a barely-out-of-tune Grotrian 189(about 6' 3"). When I'd finished and gone through my arpeggios, she said that the piano had never sounded better! Just what I needed to hear! Dave Stahl > It's really important to get this information to them right at the start. > I usually end up with the comment, "Though it will cost more this time, at > least you are not having to pay for all the tunings it's missed!" > Sound advice, Barbara. I also find the PTG Technical Bulletins very helpful. The one for Pitch Raise spells it out well, except for your phrase above. It's a good point, and I use it occasionally, but I'm sometimes hesitant to point out how many hundreds of dollars that they've saved for fear of them deciding that it's a viable long-term technique! The bulletins are effective because customers will normally have a bit more respect for the printed word. And.... with cantankerous customers, my communications skills go down the toilet. The ptg.org address is on my invoices, estimates, and letterhead, also. Sending the customer to the .net has other advantages, also. Like getting the customer off your shoulder while working. Entertaining career, no? Guy Nichols, RPT Ft. Stinkin' Desert, NM "Controversy equalizes fools and wise men and the fools know it." Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/1e/4c/8a/39/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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