Treble tuning for elderly clients

[Ron Nossaman]

Alan Barnard wrote:
> One word of caution: I worked very hard to clean up a really lousy, noisy treble on a Baldwin console. The lady called me back, unsatisfied. (Pleased to say it's a very rare event.) I went back and it sounded aok to me. She claims I killed the tone of her piano and ruined the sound. Hasn't had me back, either.
> 
> Some times, we can be too smart by half. Maybe we shouldn't be afraid to interview the clients more thoroughly as to their preferences, what they hear, what bugs them, etc., rather than just tuning the piano the way we like it. 
> 
> Alan Barnard


Perhaps we possibly shouldn't be so ready and willing to be 
wrong in the presence of a customer's ignorance, incapacity, 
or unrealistic expectation to make a buck. I read endless talk 
on this list about the need to educate the public about the 
realities of things piano, followed immediately by endless 
concerns for offending them by attempting to correct their 
misconceptions, ignorance, or incapacities. What I consider to 
be the real stuff always takes priority in my world, and it's 
usually possible to impress upon a customer that what you have 
to tell them might not be what they want to hear, but you 
think it's what they need to know. Most are appreciative of 
the approach, since they've all been lied to and mollified to 
their detriment many times already by someone trying to milk 
yet another buck out of them. Since that's not your intent, 
level with them. Some get it, some don't.

Ron N