Help with "bad" tuning...need help

[Dean May]

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Hi James,

Would you be willing to post the text of your brochure, or maybe even the
Word document file?

Thanks,

Dean
Dean May             cell 812.239.3359
PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272
Terre Haute IN  47802

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf
Of James Grebe
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2004 9:01 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: Help with "bad" tuning...need help

Hi Doug,
Yes, do go back and touch up the tuning.  Always explain before a pitch
raise that it is just the first of several tunings to raise the pitch and
stabilize the tuning.  Myself, I tell them on anything over 25% low is a
pitch raise now.  Another tuning in 2 weeks and then in 3 months.  I do not
do a pitch raise unless they thoroughly understand this.  I write my own
brochures and it explains all about the peculiarities of a pitch raised
piano and the expectations of such.  You will learn how to be firm and exude
confidence in your words with time and will come to not be afraid to speak
your truth of pianos and why they go out of tune.
Jim
James Grebe
Piano-Forte Tuning & Repair
Creator of Handsome Hardwood Caster Cups
(314) 608-4137
WWW.JamesGrebe.com <http://www.JamesGrebe.com>
1526 Raspberry Lane
Arnold, MO 63010
BECOME WHAT YOU BELIEVE!
pianoman@accessus.net <mailto:pianoman@accessus.net>
----- Original Message -----
From: Doug Renz Piano Tuning <mailto:pianotuner@frontiernet.net>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <mailto:pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2004 7:51 PM
Subject: Help with "bad" tuning...need help

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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