In Susan Kline's article this month, she describes the use of vodka to soften hammers. I have some questions: 1. How long should I waite for the solution to take effect? 2. Is this method better or worse than steaming? 3. How does this compare to fabric softener/alchohol solution method? Another subject: Hey, I got burned again on a voicing problem. I tuned a Kawai with lots of false beats in the top. There were some bad strings in the bass, but overall, a good sound, better than most. The customer calls and says there is buzzing in about ten strings from E4 on down. I have her play some unisons, they were good except for a mismatched unison in the bass. Then I had her play some octaves, all good. Over the phone, it's hard to hear buzzing because the phone only passes voice frequencies, but I could hear some buzzing. I ignored it durng the tuning becuase most folks don't seem to notice it..it's very faint. I explained that there may be some voicing problems from what I could hear and perhaps some of the strings were bad. It did not sound like a tuning problem and would take a little work. So now she's calling the dealer and I suspect I'll never see her again. I can't understand why people refuse to try to work out a problem. Perhaps they feel that tuning solves all problems. I can see how you full-service techs have an advantage...you fix what needs fixing. I should have been tipped-off that she'd be a pain when she said her piano teacher said never to pay over $65 for a tuning. I charge $80 minimum for first time clients, which seems about normal for my area. I feel better now ( well, only a little better). -- Frank Cahill Associate Member Northern Va
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