I find one of the most satisfying things about this work is that every one of my days is configured differently. Sometimes I do 5 tunings, sometimes I do repairs, regulation, and voicing to 2 or 3 pianos. Some days I work on crap pianos for people who can't afford more (often the most appreciative customers, frankly...), others I work on pianos that cost the price of houses; some days I work on church or school pianos, some days concert tunings--and I schedule a bike ride every Wednesday morning and early afternoon, just to stay sane. 10-12 hour days, day after day, get old. An important lesson here is that we have need to develop and continually learn strong skills, and SELL them, not give them away(I plead guilty on that one on occasion....). Dave Stahl, RPT Dave Stahl Piano Service dstahlpiano at sbcglobal.net dstahlpiano.net -----Original Message----- From: David Andersen <david at davidandersenpianos.com> To: pianotech at ptg.org Sent: Wed, Nov 11, 2009 9:08 pm Subject: Re: [pianotech] Complete piano service, was Workload Hey, Ger---hopefully you don't misunderstand me. There is no template for us all to fit into, and it's completely obvious from your posts that you offer your clients complete piano service..... It gets done one way or another. Just not the same way that you do it. " Exactly. You customize it, as a craftsman, for your clientele, and I for mine. We're both giving immense value. Best, DA On Nov 11, 2009, at 8:12 PM, Gerald Groot wrote: It's easy David. For starters, my family has been servicing in this area since 1926. At one time, there were 5 of us Groot's tuning and servicing full time. All have since died but for 2 of us that are left tuning and still servicing pianos full time. We are obviously a very well established business with a very large clientele. To imply that because we are tuning 5 or more in a day or to imply that we are not tuning that many in a day, or to imply that we do not do complete piano service is ludicrous to be frank with you about it. We have to tune this many pianos a day to get them all in tune for the holiday season(s). Not to mention all of the concert work that I do for my college. What NEEDS to be done during the tuning, is done but, anything that is major work like regulation or hammer filing for example, we leave or send an estimate on returning in our slower times, (summer) or on other days when we have more time to complete that part of it. Just today for example, I sent out 5 estimates totaling almost $6,000 for regulation, voicing, hammer filing etc. I don't know from one piano to the next what I am going to encounter for sure. None of us does. We can predict it fairly well though if we have a ton of repeat business like I have and therefore, schedule accordingly. Also, many of these repeat pianos are tuned several times throughout the year or more. Many of them are tuned monthly. This makes it much easier to keep up on the regular maintenance of them. If there are things that I do not have time to do, or do not care to do then I subcontract them out to very competent technicians such as rebuilding (which I no longer do or desire to do) and reconditioning. I can't do it all, I don't want to do it all and I don't have time for it all. When I am servicing at my college, the pianos need to be tuned so they can be used during the school year. I can't spend an entire day or 1/2 day regulating etc., as they are being used. I return as necessary to do this when I know exactly how much will be required after tuning the piano. Or, I do this during my summer months preparing them for the remainder of the year. I touch up things during the tuning that require touch up and as I said, I return later for the "other stuff." It gets done one way or another. Just not the same way that you do it. Jer Groot RPT From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Andersen Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 4:17 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: [pianotech] Complete piano service, was Workload "I don't know where these guys that claim they do 5 pianos a day find their clients -- all the ones I work on need pitch raises, repairs, regulation, and who knows what ..." D. Nereson Right on. There's tremendous amounts of piano service money lying around waiting to be picked up by the complete piano service business. I highly recommend that every tuner-technician become a complete piano service; then the days of 5 or 6 a day, 5 or 6 days a week, fade and become a horrific and cautionary memory. ALL the pianos I come to need work other than tuning. I'll say it again: ALL the pianos I come to need work other than tuning. If you can't understand or perceive this you need a huge reality check. You are the equivalent of a mechanic just putting gas in the tank and saying the car is good to go. That may sound brutal, but it's the truth. I make six figures every year just on piano service, and I work five weeks out of every six for medical reasons. That means I'm getting paid a lot; and I rarely or ever work on more than two pianos a day, and often just one. I would say 95% of the new client pianos I come to have not had any regular service other than tuning in their lifetime---even studios and serious players, although the percentage in those categories is probably lower---70%---it's enough to keep us in work here in L.A. for the foreseeable future. Once players hear and feel the radical positive change we make by implementing complete piano service, most of them become grateful, elegant clients for life. It's rewarding on all levels. Here's my definition of complete piano service as it appears on my website: The ability to understand, diagnose, and implement the work necessary to put a piano in its maximum playing condition, and keep it there, through judicious maintenance, throughout its years of use. Best, David Andersen On Nov 11, 2009, at 11:02 AM, David Nereson wrote: About 15, but then I purposely don't do more than 3 day if I can avoid it -- too hectic, too hard on the hands & ears, too long a day (few and very far between are pianos that need tuning only -- I don't know where these guys that claim they do 5 pianos a day find their clients -- all the ones I work on need pitch raises, repairs, regulation, and who knows what -- if I did even 4 pianos a day needing all that extra work, I'd be at it from 5am to 9 at night!) --David Nereson, RPT ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard" <richard.ucci at att.net> To: <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 5:21 AM Subject: [pianotech] Workload List, How many tunings are you averaging per week? Rick Ucci/ Ucci Piano avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. 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