This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment I think Dave brings up some good questions, ones that I have asked = myself, and ones I don't have really good answers for. Part of the trouble, for me anyway, is that I don't think the car = analogy works all that well. I wish it did, 'cause I like 'em. If you don't change your oil, your motor will wear at an increased rate. = If you don't align your front end, your tires will wear prematurely. If = you don't maintain your brakes, they could fail and you/someone could = die. If you don't file the grooves out of hammers, or regulate the action = every five years or level the keys, does anything wear out prematurely? = Is it dangerous? I think it is pretty much a performance thing. I think = it is the reason there are many more Chevrolet Caprice and Ford = Taurus-type cars sold than high performance cars - as long as the thing = functions ok, then it's good enough for my use. I have trouble with the same questions that Dave has and don't have the = answers. There are some techs who sell blocks of service time rather = than just a tuning. A typical block might be a half-day. Tune, regulate = touch-up, tone build, etc. But I really doubt many of these clients are = typical moms and dads with the Whitney/Sears spinet that second-year = student Suzie plays. It's these average-joe piano owners we are talking = about here. Terry Farrell Dave I wonder if there is a 'car' analogy that might be useful . . . I = have my oil changed regularly, nad ya know, I don't notice a darn bit of = difference $100 later . . .?? I have the same dilemma with many customers, and when I am listening = to myself talk to the customer, I sometimes think I sound like an = encyclopedia salesman . . .! Oh well, such are the thrills of the job . . . Hope you have a happy Christmas with your family, and know that all = those 'tuned' pianos will be making your customers christmas's a little = bit better . . . = -------------------------------------------------------------------------= Jim Kinnear www.kinnearpiano.com Collingwood, ON, Canada >=20 > Tuned a medium-quality console that was 25 or 30 years old and = had had=20 > minimal use. While tuning along, I noticed that it could use = vacuuming and=20 > a light hammer filing, but not terribly. There was a bit too much = lost=20 > motion, but not enough to bother most players. Several hammers = weren't=20 > quite aligned to the center of the unisons, but were still striking = all=20 > three strings. I'm sure the keys weren't perfectly level, nor the = dip=20 > nicely uniform, and from its age and length of time without tuning, = I'm sure=20 > all the flange screws needed tightening, along with plate screws and = all=20 > other screws. Oh, and there were a few strings in the treble that = maybe=20 > needed seating on the bridge or maybe their bridge pins tapped in = (false=20 > beats). And I imagine that the let-off was a bit wide. But it = played=20 > nicely and had a decent, acceptable tone and sustain. > Nevertheless, I thought I should point out to the owner what = work the=20 > piano could use in addition to tuning to put it in top shape. So I=20 > explained all the above-mentioned items, that it was 30 years old = and no=20 > piano goes that long without needing at least some routine = maintenance, and=20 > that it would cost a few hundred dollars to do a complete job. > She replied, "What would I notice?" > And you know, in all honesty, I had to reply, "Well, maybe not = much."=20 > The tone might be a LITTLE rounder after hammer filing, or it might = be too=20 > bright and need subsequent voicing down. The tone was pretty nice = as it=20 > was. She MIGHT notice that the action was a tiny bit more = responsive (no=20 > lost motion, closer let-off) IF she was a fairly advanced player, = which she=20 > was not. But vacuuming, tightening plate and flange screws, seating = strings=20 > or bridge pins, de-traveling "wandering" shanks, regulating dip . . = . I=20 > doubt she or most average casual players would notice any change. = (I=20 > already tuned it). > Now, with much older pianos where the hammers are extremely worn = and the=20 > action is extremely out of regulation, or when the hammers badly = need=20 > voicing, often the difference after reconditioning is dramatic. And = > sometimes the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, that is, = they=20 > might not notice this or that item, but all together, the = reconditioning=20 > improves the sound and touch of the instrument. But in this case, I = had a=20 > hard time selling the job to even myself. > Whatta ya do in these cases? Just leave it? Wait until it's = "pretty=20 > bad" before you work on it? Why should they spend $300 or more if = the piano=20 > will feel and sound about the same as it did before? It doesn't = increase=20 > the value all that much. It does prevent things from getting worse, = I=20 > guess, but in this case, I think the piano would be about the same,=20 > regulation-wise, in 5 or even 10 years from now, with its very = casual use,=20 > since it's been "about the same" for the LAST 5 or 10 years. > --David Nereson, RPT ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/22/f5/db/3c/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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