<<I recommend string covers so I doen't have to clean very often. >> I sure hope you are charging a fee for cleaning! In cases where a first-time client has grand that is filthy; soundboard so dirty you can hardly see the decal, corrosion on strings, action coated with decades of dust and debris, etc. I point this out to the client and tell them my fee, and then strongly suggest a string cover to keep it clean. Has anyone ever had a customer ask: "Isn't cleaning part of the tuning"? Hmmmm, When you get your car tuned up, do you you also expect to get your car washed, waxed and detailed at no extra charge? If the refrigerator guy comes to do some repairs, do you also expect him to clean out the inside where you dropped food, spilled milk or juice, or maybe the plumber, after he unclogs your toilet, should he also take the toilet brush, cleanser and other household cleaners and scub away? Dream on! Terry Peterson ----Original Message Follows---- From: Robert J Russell <brjr@sbcglobal.net> Reply-To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> Subject: Re: why sell maintenance the customer won't notice? Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2004 07:13:43 -0800 (PST) List, This is an interesting subject. Personally, I struggle with getting time off from work, so if a piano doesn't need service, I'm more than happy to leave it alone.I recommend string covers so I doen't have to clean very often. Some the other services you mentioned are needed fairly regularly. Especially flange screw tightening. In a four season climate like mine, maybe the action will only click when it gets dry in the winter, but if you're tuning it every year in the summer, you may not know if this is an issue. In addition, it's dangerous to match your service recommondations with their level of their playing, because maybe they will invite a friend to play their piano that performs well. This would not put your work in a positive light. Anyway, interesting subject to shoot the breeze about on Xmas. Hope every one is recovering from December and has a wonderful holiday!! Bob Russell, RPT --- Terry <terry@farrellpiano.com> wrote: > 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 > > > > > > > Tuned a medium-quality console that was 25 > or 30 years old and had had > > minimal use. While tuning along, I noticed that > it could use vacuuming and > > a light hammer filing, but not terribly. There > was a bit too much lost > > motion, but not enough to bother most players. > Several hammers weren't > > quite aligned to the center of the unisons, but > were still striking all > > three strings. I'm sure the keys weren't > perfectly level, nor the dip > > nicely uniform, and from its age and length of > time without tuning, I'm sure > > all the flange screws needed tightening, along > with plate screws and all > > other screws. Oh, and there were a few strings > in the treble that maybe > > needed seating on the bridge or maybe their > bridge pins tapped in (false > > beats). And I imagine that the let-off was a > bit wide. But it played > > nicely and had a decent, acceptable tone and > sustain. > > Nevertheless, I thought I should point out > to the owner what work the > > piano could use in addition to tuning to put it > in top shape. So I > > explained all the above-mentioned items, that it > was 30 years old and no > > piano goes that long without needing at least > some routine maintenance, and > > 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." > > The tone might be a LITTLE rounder after hammer > filing, or it might be too > > bright and need subsequent voicing down. The > tone was pretty nice as it > > was. She MIGHT notice that the action was a > tiny bit more responsive (no > > lost motion, closer let-off) IF she was a fairly > advanced player, which she > > was not. But vacuuming, tightening plate and > flange screws, seating strings > > or bridge pins, de-traveling "wandering" shanks, > regulating dip . . . I > > doubt she or most average casual players would > notice any change. (I > > already tuned it). > > Now, with much older pianos where the > hammers are extremely worn and the > > action is extremely out of regulation, or when > the hammers badly need > > voicing, often the difference after > reconditioning is dramatic. And > > sometimes the sum of the parts is greater than > the whole, that is, they > > might not notice this or that item, but all > together, the reconditioning > > improves the sound and touch of the instrument. > But in this case, I had a > > hard time selling the job to even myself. > > Whatta ya do in these cases? Just leave it? > Wait until it's "pretty > > bad" before you work on it? Why should they > spend $300 or more if the piano > > will feel and sound about the same as it did > before? It doesn't increase > > the value all that much. It does prevent things > from getting worse, I > > guess, but in this case, I think the piano would > be about the same, > > regulation-wise, in 5 or even 10 years from now, > with its very casual use, > > since it's been "about the same" for the LAST 5 > or 10 years. > > --David Nereson, RPT _______________________________________________ pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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