Pitch raise

[TunerJeff@aol.com]

Dear Folks,

1. Charge for pitch raises!
2. Explain why.
3. Re-tune in 30 days for large raises. 3 to 6 months for less drastic
changes.

    Pitch raises take extra time. We are helping the instrument recover from
2 to 60 years of neglected service...and we deserve to be paid for our time.
I would suggest that we not only spend extra time with the instrument, we
should also be spending extra time with the customer. The initial 'ballpark
yank' takes me about 20 minutes tuning aurally or 25 to 30 minutes with the
SAT2 (AccuTuner II), but the SAT pitch raise is more accurate on overpull,
and often comes close to nailing the tuning quite well on the first pass. (I
expect my tuning speeds with the SAT to improve, we're still getting
aquainted.) I charge $15.00 for the pitch raise to help drive home the
concept that I'm performing 'extra-duty' when called to tune a neglected
instrument. And I spend an extra 5-7 minutes with the customer too!

     When you take the time to explain that the average piano has 20+ tons of
pressure on it from the string tension, you have a customer with a better
understanding of WHY pianos need tuning. I explain it thus;
      "The average piano has over 230 strings with a constant tension of some
160 to 200lbs. per string. If you make the math simple (200pins x
200lbs/tension), this works out to about 40,000 pounds of tension from the
strings on the plate and frame of the piano. The piano lives with this
enormous tension all it's life, and it's important to keep the tension
balanced. Even pianos in museums get regular service to maintain them (as our
current Guild President Marshall Hawkins is well-aware! He services the
Smithsonian collection). As your piano hasn't been tuned for several years
(insert appropriate decades...), I'll be adding new tension to the strings
and frame, possibly several hundred pounds, and there will be some settling
and re-adjustment.

     This piano deserves to be tuned again in 30 days. The second tuning will
be far more  stable... and we can discuss a regular schedule for your piano.
We ask that you tune your piano at least once a year, and more often if it's
used regularly by a student or professional musician (ie; Several hours per
day). Most customers are on a 6-month or one-year tuning schedule. What seems
appropriate to your piano use??"

     My recall rate on the second tuning is outstanding. Last year, better
than 4 out of 5 customers actually had the second tuning in 45 days or less.
Of course, we do send a post-card reminder about 7 to 10 days before the next
tuning is due (...hey! It works for the dentist! And the PTG has a few nifty
ideas for reminder cards for Guild members, check your Journals.). I strongly
believe that the explanation of 20+ tons of pressure in the piano helps us
establish the need for the second tuning . Try it!

Yah sure, it works...
Jeffrey T. Hickey, RPT (Radical Piano Technophile)
Oregon Coast Piano Services
TunerJeff @ aol.com

ps- Hey! Didn't the Yamaha Servicebond Card (that travels out with all their
new critters) demand a second tuning in 30 days? Recently serviced a piano
for 'em, and noted that this wasn't on the card. Is my memory totally fogged
here??? Any of you dealer-folks remember the little box; "Re-tune 30