Help with "bad" tuning...need help

[David Love]

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Since you are a new tuner (and even if you weren=92t), you should go =
back
and find out what is at issue.  Schedule it at your convenience but
don=92t wait too long.  You need to find out if the problem is yours, =
not
setting solid unisons, or one of the piano continuing to drift off pitch
from a large pitch raise.  If you have an ETD you will be able to
measure the pitch drift if you set the pitch at A440.  A piano that is =
=BC
step flat is significantly out of tune and may not stabilize even after
a pitch raise and fine tuning.  Check to be sure that the piano is not
sitting over a heater vent or is otherwise in an unstable room in the
house.  If the problem is yours fix it.  If the pitch is still drifting
tell them that you should have explained that after a significant pitch
raise the piano may not achieve stability right away and sometimes
requires another tuning sooner than it would otherwise.  If that is the
case, suggest that the piano sit for another couple of weeks and
schedule another tuning for which they will have to pay full fee.  If
the problem is yours--unstable unisons--tell them that more frequent
tunings will help insure greater stability between tunings and try and
schedule the next appointment.  Above all, be relaxed and confident.
=20
David Love
davidlovepianos@comcast.net=20
-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Doug Renz Piano Tuning
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2004 5:52 PM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Help with "bad" tuning...need help
=20
As a new piano tuner, I am learning a lot as I go and tune different
piano=92s and typically I am tuning the older piano=92s and some =
new/better
ones.  This past Sat. I tuned a piano for a home that had a console
that had never been tuned =91in a long time=92. 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 =91the piano is still out of tune and you must not
have checked it before you left=92.  Before I left I told him, =91your =
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.
=20
So, what do I do now? Has anyone been in my shoes before? Go back and
do a =91free=92 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=92t go back and =91fix=92 this, I am going =
to
get that
reputation and the other PTG member might tell others about the =91part
time=92 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.
=20
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.
=20
Any advice, thoughts?
=20
Thanks.
Doug Renz
Associate PTG member, Rochester, NY

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