[pianotech] Ethics and efficacy of part-time tuning

[John Ross]

You didn't go through a learning stage?
I don't know too many men, who can't look back at their work, and realize they could, and should have done better.
I see now, where you were coming from.
But you are being unrealistic.
Someone said it in a previous post, they had seen bad work by RPTs, and excellent work by people who weren't. I concur with that statement.
Look at some of the bad jobs as an opportunity for you to make more money, and gain new customers, when they realize how good you are.
Just leave it as is, you can't regulate, who can and can't work on a piano.
 (Maybe you can, see last paragraph.)
Some people can only afford a tooner. They can't afford all the voicing and regulation at $xx per hour. They have to be satisfied with a piano that is operational.
A retired conductor of the Swiss Philharmonic, used to have me tune his piano all the time, at his Summer house here. He told me the price they charged over there. I said, maybe I should come over and do a few pianos. He said that I wouldn't be allowed, as the tuners were, I thought he said, Government controlled.
Maybe someone from Europe could enlighten me as to the true situation?
John Ross,
Windsor, Nova Scotia
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Michael Magness 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 8:23 PM
  Subject: Re: [pianotech] Ethics and efficacy of part-time tuning





  On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 4:56 PM, Duaine & Laura Hechler <dahechler at att.net> wrote:

    AMEN.

    And I'll say it Again AMEN


    John Ross wrote:
    > I can't understand your point.
    > Are you saying that if a person has a job, he shouldn't do piano tuning on
    > the side?
    > If so, you are completely wrong. If a person wants to do piano tuning on the
    > side, to make extra money for his family, then he should.
    > If his work is inferior, then he will not get a call back, and another tuner
    > will get the work.
    > Then again, he could be doing, for example, the Randy Potter course, and
    > doesn't want to let his full time job go, until he is sure that he can make
    > it as a tuner.
    > John Ross,
    > Windsor, Nova Scotia.
    > ----- Original Message -----
    > From: "David Love" <davidlovepianos at comcast.net>
    > To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
    > Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 9:51 AM
    > Subject: Re: [pianotech] Ethics and efficacy of part-time tuning
    >
    >
    > Everybody does it part time until they have enough business to do it full
    > time.
    >
    > David Love
    > www.davidlovepianos.com
    >
    >
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
    > Of david at piano.plus.com
    > Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 2:22 AM
    > To: pianotech at ptg.org
    > Subject: [pianotech] Ethics and efficacy of part-time tuning
    >
    > What do you think about the ethics and the efficacy of doing piano tuning
    > and repair as a part-time business when a person has another source of
    > income?
    >
    > There is a view that if you are not tuning full-time you will not maintain
    > your skill at a high enough level.
    >
    > Best regards,
    >
    > David.
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >



    --
    Duaine Hechler
    Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ
    Tuning, Servicing & Rebuilding
    Reed Organ Society Member
    Florissant, MO 63034
    (314) 838-5587
    dahechler at att.net
    www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com
    --
    Home & Business user of Linux - 10 years




   
  For those who didn't understand my refusal, here are a few recent examples of tooner error that I have happened across. Who knows how many others are out there still listening to these tooners, in good faith, not realizing how wrong they are or what damage they may be doing.
  The wurlie spinet that the tooner took up lost motion on and a few days later half or more of the keys wouldn't play. The soft pedal rod had come out of it's hole, holding the hammer rail further forward causing said "lost motion" when it fell back in the jacks couldn't get back under the hammer butt. I was called, undid what he did and am now their regular tech.

  The Howard grand, one of those 4' 5" or 6" ones made for Baldwin by Samick in a 7th Day Adventist Church. It had a full Dampp-Chaser system in it. The tooner( a different one) had been going to church there and tuning and servicing the piano, he told them to unplug it during the winter months!! He had also never told them or didn't know about the additivie for the humidifier the tank was so limed up it was completely white inside.  

  A school I recently tuned the pianos for contest, has a vocal director whose father is a retired band director and tooner, he had hired his father, last fall, to tune the pianos, even though the district had told him he couldn't because of nepotism. I found several of the ABS styran hammer butts and flanges re-pinned with# 23 and #24 center pins on a 5 year old Kawai UST-7. I have worked on Kawai's for over 25 years and found it necessary to repin perhaps a half dozen individual flanges in that time, usually with the same size or one size larger, never with anything that large.

  I have more but supper's on the table.

  Mike
  - 
  I intend to live forever. So far, so good. 
  Steven Wright 


  Michael Magness
  Magness Piano Service
  608-786-4404
  www.IFixPianos.com
  email mike at ifixpianos.com
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