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Oh I really hate when this happens. I usually tell them that they are right,
the piano once restored won't be original. So if they want to keep it in
it's original state, they should put it aside and get another piano to use
every day. I use the car collector analogy: If you had an antique Rolls
Royce, would you use it every day if you were a taxicab driver????.
I use a similar analogy when they insist the piano has huge sentimental
value because it's the piano their granmother learned on. I ask them if they
still drive the car their granfather learned to drive with...
Sometimes I enjoy being sarcastic...
I need a vacation!!!
Marcel Carey, RPT
Sherbrooke, QC
-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On
Behalf Of Sarah Fox
Sent: November 15, 2004 6:43 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: How do we tell customers that the work done on their
pianosstinks?
Hi Tom et al.,
This whole motorized hammer filing discussion had me pondering a question
that this thread touches on. Advice would be appreciated...
A friend's daughter, a young but accomplished musician
(composer/violinist), has a beautiful 1905 Knabe upright with considerable
wear and tear. The biggest problems with the piano are the hammer-like
objects (HLOs), which come in all variety of random shapes and sizes, thanks
to the skilled work of some unknown tooner from long ago, and the dampers,
which are original and don't damp all that great. The piano has a LOT of
sentimental value, and despite its wear, it's quite a nice instrument. I'd
say it's an obvious candidate for new hammers and damper felt at the very
least.
Here's the problem, though: The young lady who owns the piano believes
that the old/original/butchered hammers and the old/original damper felt has
antique value. In other words, this piano is "all original," and as such,
it's very valuable. Replacing any of the old parts with new parts would
lessen its value. Get the idea?
How do you convince such a person that her piano needs a good infusion of
21st Century wool? The fact that the old-styled Wurzen felt is now
available should help, but I just don't think that will carry the argument.
Have any of you run across this attitude? If so, what do you do?
Peace,
Sarah
----- Original Message -----
From: Thomas Cole
To: Pianotech
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2004 12:45 PM
Subject: Re: How do we tell customers that the work done on their
pianosstinks?
I had to tell a lady that her piano was untunable and that it needed
restringing. She had just had it restrung in the previous year. She said
that was what the last technician told her and, after a while, reluctantly,
asked me to do the job again.
So, in answer to your question, tell the truth (but leave out the
"crappy" and "useless" adjectives) and be the second technician to show up
to give the bad news. :-)
Tom Cole
gordon stelter wrote:
The BEST part in a situation like this is telling the
customer that the former "technician" did useless and
crappy work. USUALLY the customer gets mad at YOU
instead of them! ( And doesn't believe you, i.e. "That
nice old man, xxxxx, worked on MY piano!" ( Smiling,
with beaming eyes. )
Does anyone here have suggestions on how to
handle telling a customer that the work they just paid
for is absolutely worthless garbage ?
Thump
P.S. I played a small private reception for a
celebrity you'd all recognize last night, in a big
mansion.......... on a Wurlitzer console. The owner
came up to me, beaming, "How do you like it ?" I
rejected the first 10 answers that came to mind, bit
my lip and politely said "It's OK ". ( I'm not good at
lying ) "When was it tuned ?" " Sometime in the last
year!" he beamed again.
Sheesh!
--- Farrell <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
Of course! But it's ok because the originals are
those really nice ones with the knuckle integrated
into the shank!
I'm sure you all have seen this kind of crap
workmanship before, but last night I thought I would
turn my attention to the backchecks and putting a
radius on the hammer tails. The guy also put new
backchecks on. Every one at a unique height. Many
pushing up adjacent hammers upon key stroke. The
hammer tails hit the backcheck at about a 45 degree
angle (tails don't check, they clunk!). Then I try
to gang sand the tails for a radius. Tails are
angled every which way. In, out, rotated.
If you took all the loose parts, thew them in a box
and shook it up and then looked inside, you would
have something that looks pretty close to this
action. I am exaggerating only slightly.
Arrrrggggg! It would have been less work to try and
make the original parts function, rather than trying
to make this hodge-podge of parts function. :-(
Ain't there a law?????
Terry Farrell
----- Original Message -----
From: Avery Todd
To: Pianotech
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 5:47 PM
Subject: Re: Front Rail Punching Interference
Just wondering, but did "they" also install those
new hammers on old shanks/knuckles? :-)
Avery
At 03:56 PM 11/13/04, you wrote:
I think I found part of the problem already. The
tooner before me "rebuilt the piano" - you know, the
full monty - new strings, hammers, damper felts (yes
indeed, hanging way out past the damper heads) and
keytops - none of which were installed
straight/aligned, etc. I imagine this thing had
ivory keytops originally. The new keytops are thick
plastic (~2mm), and yup, you guessed it, he didn't
plane the keytops down to compensate for the thicker
keytops - so now I have keys that are one or two
millimeters thicker than original.....
Oh well, back to the drawing board ........ er,
a, regulating table......
Terry Farrell
----- Original Message -----
From: antares
To: Pianotech
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 4:04 PM
Subject: Re: Front Rail Punching Interference
Terry,
First of all, you need to know the exact key
height of your key board.
This is the key to your regulation.
For instance.... the key height for Steinway
model S-B (measured from the key bed to the
underside of the key top covering) is 63 mm.
For Yamaha's this 64 mm.
It is the only way to get your basis straight.
After that, we're talking.
André Oorebeek
On 13-nov-04, at 20:47, Farrell wrote:
<?fontfamily><?param
Arial><?smaller>Help!<?/smaller><?/fontfamily>
<?fontfamily><?param Arial><?smaller>I'm
trying to regulate a Baldwin "Monarch" microgrand
action. I haven't looked up the piano's age (can't
find my Pierce Atlas), but it is from the first half
of the 20th Century. I've run into this before. I
level keys (1/2" sharp height), regulate blow,
let-off, etc., and then go to set aftertouch. When I
have the proper aftertouch on the sharps, the
adjacent naturals hit the sharp front rail punching
before they hit their own front rail punching when
depressing the natural.<?/smaller><?/fontfamily>
<?fontfamily><?param Arial><?smaller>That's
bad.<?/smaller><?/fontfamily>
<?fontfamily><?param Arial><?smaller>What
gives? Have I done something stupid? Have I simply
overlooked something?<?/smaller><?/fontfamily>
<?fontfamily><?param Arial><?smaller>Another
thing - I have to reduce blow to 1-3/4 inches to
provide sufficient key travel (about 3/8 inches -
way less than spec) to allow let-off and a tad of
aftertouch. I replaced the back rail felt with
original thickness (which is the thinnest sold by
the supply houses), I am using the thinnest front
rail punchings available, and I even have key height
a little bit higher than they were (and above spec -
more than 2-1/2 inches - I'm quite sure I'm still OK
with the fallboard).<?/smaller><?/fontfamily>
<?fontfamily><?param Arial><?smaller>Again,
what gives? Action clearly appears all
original.<?/smaller><?/fontfamily>
<?fontfamily><?param Arial><?smaller>This is
all a lot easier when you rebuild the action, go
through the Stanwood and geometry stuff, and have it
all correct from the get-go! Because, as in this
case, it can't be me, it's gotta be the action!
Right? ;-)<?/smaller><?/fontfamily>
<?fontfamily><?param Arial><?smaller>Thanks
for anything anyone has to
offer.<?/smaller><?/fontfamily>
<?fontfamily><?param Arial><?smaller>Terry
Farrell<?/smaller><?/fontfamily>
friendly greetings
from
André Oorebeek
"where Music is, no harm can be"
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