Tuning Player Uprights

[Les Smith]

Hi, Lar:

What a treat, reading one of your far too infrequent posts! Thanks.
To your always on the money advice, I would add the following:

Whenever a tech goes to tune a player he hasn't tuned before, the
first thing to do is nothing--DON'T TOUCH IT! First ask the owner if
it is working. If he says no, you can proceed, but if he says yes,
INSIST that HE demonstrate it to you before you touch it. Many times,
when they say yes, they mean the last time it was played--which might have
been YEARS ago--and then, when they do try to demonstate it, it doesn't
work. In a situation like this, if you don't ask the owner to demonstrate
it first, he'll try it out AFTER you've tuned it and BLAME YOU FOR ITS NOT
WORKING. As Newton so wisely advises, CYA! Have the owner emonstrate the
player FIRST!

Take care, Lar

Respectfully,

Les Smith