Customer Complaint on Tuning

[Willem Blees]

Terry 

If you're lucky, she'll be happy with the piano after you "wiggle a few pins". Here's my story. Shortly after I bought the tuning list from a tuner who died, (well, from his widow), I got a call from one of his former customers. He's in his 80's, is Italian, and plays the guitar, in addition to being a somewhat of a piano oplayer.He has a Baldwin Studio 6000. Nice piano. I tune the piano, and recommended shaping hammers and adjusting the action. I do the work. He's happy, I'm happy. He calls me a week later and says the upper octave is out of tune. I go back. The piano sounds great, but to be sure, I go through the top three octaves again. He gives me a bottle of wine as a thank you. He calls me again, still not happy. "I was happy with Roland, and I guess he's the only one who could tune a piano." (He told me he had called another RPT to tune the piano, but wasn't happy with his tuning, either.) I listened, and basically told him that the piano was fine, but that perhaps he might have some hearing problems. Of course that set him off. He said that because he's Italian, who, after all, invented the piano, and because he has been playing the guitar for over 60 years, and the piano for even longer that that, that his hearing is perfect.?His problem is?not with the octave played together, but as an arpeggio, especially in the 6th octave. When?he plays f5, a5 c6 f6, he claims?the f6 is sharp.?So I asked him to help me tune f6.?When I was done, it was almost an e6. We do this until we get to Bb6. But when I played F6, he says, wait,that's not right. I said, but Mario, that's where you wanted it. He gave up and said I was totally incompetent. I tuned the piano the way I thought it should be, and left. He calles me 2 weeks later, and says he has another tuner to confirm that my tuning is bad,and that he wants me to come and talk to this guy. Since I was new to the island, I asked my friend who brought me over here, to?accompany me. It wound up to be his best friend, and a Guild member. We basically told the guy there i


s nothing wrong with the tuning. I haven't heard from his since. As a side note, after I regulated the piano, he complained?he couldn't do a finger roll repeat. I asked him to show me, which, of course, he couldn't. Not because the piano wouldn't allow it, but because his fingers were too arthritic. Of course, since he can't accept he's going deaf, he certainly will not admit he's got arthritis. 

So, hopefully, terry, just a one time repeat will satisfy her. 


Wim

-----Original Message-----
From: Farrell <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Fri, 8 Aug 2008 8:24 am
Subject: Customer Complaint on Tuning




Oh boy. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. Should have just erased the message and not called.....?

?

Lady leaves message on my answering machine: I LIVE AT 123 MY STREET. MY PIANO NEEDS TUNING. I LIVE AT 123 MY STREET.?IT SOUNDS HORRIBLE. I LIVE AT 123 MY STREET.?I NEED IT TUNED TOMORROW. I LIVE AT 123 MY STREET. CALL ME.

?

After my ears stopped ringing, I call her..... and they started ringing again. Made appointment.?Pull up in her driveway Wednesday - I could hear the TV LOUD in the driveway. 120 year old lady - very sweet - she had the big eyes and high?cheekbones - could tell she must have been a knockout 95 years ago. I asked how long it had been since last tuning. She didn't answer so I asked: HOW LONG SINCE LAST TUNING. She said many years. Anyway, I did a 25 cent pitch raise and tuned the?so-so condition 1970-ish Baldwin console.

?

FWIW, she is a "musicologist". What is that? She also teaches piano.

?

She calls me yesterday and says that some notes still don't sound right together. I didn't have the heart to ask which ones (like maybe C and C#?). So I told her I would call her Sunday early afternoon and stop by to check it out. (I have a morning appointment nearby that day.)

?

I know what it will sound like - a crappy little old Baldwin console that just had a pitch raise and a tuning. She's going to plunk away at several keys, not hear a darn thing, and ask me: "see? hear that?"

?

So what's the plan? Smile, wiggle a few tuning pins, and say: "Oh, yeah, that should sound better now...?"

?

This is my second call-back on a tuning in 10 years. The other one was a few years ago?from a 115 year old lady who couldn't hear a fire engine honking it's horn if she was standing right next to it.......

?

:-(

?

Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano

?

www.farrellpiano.com
terry at farrellpiano.com

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