Help with "bad" tuning...need help

[Doug Renz Piano Tuning]

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As a new piano tuner, I am learning a lot as I go and tune different

piano's and typically I am tuning the older piano's and some new/better

ones.  This past Sat. I tuned a piano for a home that had a console

that had never been tuned 'in a long time'. I warned them that I might

break strings and that it will go out of tune quickly because of the
condition

of the strings and the piano itself. Well I was called back by

the customer saying 'the piano is still out of tune and you must not

have checked it before you left'.  Before I left I told him, 'your piano

is most likely going to go flat somewhat because it has not been tuned

at all in such a long time (20+ yrs) and that it should tuned every 6
months. The

piano was old and recently had some action work, but the strings looked

old and dirty.  I was careful not to break any strings and when I left it
sounded

good and the funny thing was the customer said it sounded good after I
finished.

It was not that out of tune, A440 sounded like it was between g-sharp and a,
but

not an entire half/step off.

 

So, what do I do now? Has anyone been in my shoes before? Go back and

do a 'free' fix it up tuning, or tell him, he has to pay for a 2nd tuning.
Is this

going to risk my reputation? He had the action done by another local PTG
member

and I am afraid that if I don't go back and 'fix' this, I am going to get
that

reputation and the other PTG member might tell others about the 'part time'
tooner,

which I do not want to be and this is why I joined the PTG, to get better.
Any

thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

I thought the tuning was good, inspite of the condition of the piano and the
strings.

It sounded alot better, but I knew it was going to need another tuning soon.

 

Any advice, thoughts?

 

Thanks.

Doug Renz

Associate PTG member, Rochester, NY


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