World's Worst Tuner

[arnold1@mindspring.com]

On 1997-03-13pianotech said to arnold1@mindspring.com
   >In a message dated 97-03-13 00:23:30 EST, you write:
   >>She explained that he came in, opened up the piano, set an old
   >>brown Conn (tube-type) Strobo-Tuner on the top, plugged it in and
   >>swung open the front. The dial started gyrating, he played a few
   >>notes, and said he would take that cup of coffee she offered now.
   >>Then he sat with her in the kitchen and talked for about 20
   >>minutes. Then he went back out into the living room, played a few
   >>notes and chords, looked at the tuner dial gyrate around for
   >>aminute or two as he did, and pronounced "its done". He had given
   >it "the lifetime tune".
   >I've heard stories like this before, but I always thought they were
   >just...well, stories.  Could this suggest that there are really
   >tooners out there who use the "Insta-tune" aerosol deal?
   >Shuddering visibly,
   >Gordon Large, RPT
   >Maine

I have never heard of a case as serious as this, but I have surely heard of
the tuner who comes into the house, supposedly checks the piano, and finds
that "only three or four keys" needed tuning.  Also, I personally know of
somebody who tunes his pianos in usually half an hour or less because he
basically just tunes the two or three octives around middle c and stops.
His theory is that he is payed by the piano, not the hour, and, if they
complain, he will go back and "finish", but, if they don't, he got in and
got out that much more quickly.  Very sadly to say, he doesn't get that many
complaints, and thanks to his having one of those "Everybody just likes old
so-and-so" type personalities, he has more work than he wants.  He told me
once that he really didn't like working for that musician-type customer
because they were just too picky.  Now, this person has it in him to be a
very good tuner, he just doesn't care.
Arnold Schmidt, Raleigh, NC, arnold1@mindspring.com

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