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[Wimblees@aol.com]

To all who are reading this line:

Fist of all, thanks to Jim Grebe for using me as an example. It does take a
lot of perseverance, and I suppose a little bit of an ego to want to succeed.
But it also takes a supportive spouse, and a lot of hard work.

As far as tunign for the "right" clientelle, there is one sure way to do that.
If you want to tune only the better pianos, then charge accordingly. You
notice I said better pianos. The better pianos do not belong to rich people.
They belong to people who believe in their pianos, and are willing to make
some sacrifices to make their instruments are well cared for. It might be
someone for whom $75 or $100 is a drop in the bucket, or it could also be
someone for whom $75 is a weeks worth of groceries. 

There are many piano techs out there who complain they have nothing but
junkers in their file. They seem to be good technicians, but somehow do not
seem to attract the "better" pianos. These tech also charge about half the
going rate. This promts the customers who don't know the difference, the
customers who have the junky pianos, and the customers who don' t care about
their piano, to call for an appointment. Word gets around that good ol'  so
and so charges very little to come and "tune" the pianer.  (tuning meaning
replacing 3 strings, glueing 5 loose jacks, and removing the mice dirt from
under the keys. Never mind that the piano is 2 steps low). 

I charge a very high price for my tuning and to rebuild a piano. Although I do
get a few old uprights, most of my clientelle either don't mind spending the
money or are willing to sacracifce. I usually do not get small low quality
grands to rebuild, but occasionally I do. These customers know they are paying
top dollar for the service. They care enough about their instrument, even
though it is not a Steinway or Baldwin, to have it restored. 

The bottom line is this. If you want to work on junky old uprights, then
charge $35 or $40 for a tuning, and do repair work at $25 per hour. If you
want to work on the "better" pianos, then charge a minimum $70 or more for a
service call, and $70 per hour for repairs. You might loose a couple of
customers, but you will work less, with less stress, and probably make more
money. However, but you had better make sure the quality of your work matches
the price you charge. Otherwise you will be sitting out in the middle of
nowhere, with nothing to do. 

Willem Blees RPT
St. Louis