Guarantees

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

 << Wimblees@AOL.COM wrote:
  
  > A piano goes out of tune because of temperature and humidity changes.
  > Everyone knows that.
  
    << Wim,
  
  No, they don't -- not in my neck of the woods.  At least not until I tell 
 them about it, and even them some of the seem unconvinced.
  
  Clyde >>

Clyde,

I tuned pianos for a good 8 years before I ever even heard of humidity 
changes affecting tuning stability and I was just as skeptical as those 
customers because I couldn't understand how they would have any affect at 
all.  I agree with Wim that you need to inform people about this. Having them 
understand in advance is better than afterwards by a long shot.  Having them 
know what to expect makes it easier to sell a Humidity Control System and to 
get them to do other things like move the piano to a better spot and also 
provide general humidity control if that is needed.

If you have a ready answer and sound like you know what you are talking 
about, people will at least listen.  They may still be unconvinced because 
this may be something they have never heard of before, granted.  But amusing 
as is was, Ron's scenario is not at all unlikely, no matter what you do or 
say, no matter how you do or say it.  It's a pessimistic viewpoint, yes but 
it should be kept in mind when the time comes for you to decide that you did 
the best you could and did what was right but still lost the customer.

I have a "nutshell" explanation that I give for this and would recommend that 
you come up with one of your own and slip it in where you can.  I'd recommend 
first that you use it with all new customers, especially one where they say 
they had it tuned only recently and it is already out.  If it has bad octaves 
across the bass/tenor break, you will immediately know it is because of a 
humidity shift.

Next, do it with your old customers whose piano is now out of tune in this 
manner.  Tell them the reason why it is out of tune before you start tuning 
it.  Once you get all of your customers understanding the Humidity problem, 
you will at least have their understanding and it can easily get you sales of 
Dampp-Chaser products fro which you can make some tidy profits and have very 
happy customers.  There are PTG handouts you can get that explain the 
problem.  If you don't want to give one out to everyone, save them for the 
few who are still skeptical and give it to them *after* you have done your 
own explanation.

Here is what I say:

"Changes in Relative Humidity [the amount of moisture in the air] affect the 
piano's tuning because they swell the soundboard during dampness and shrink 
it during dryness.  The soundboard is the large wooden surface you see in the 
rear (or from the bottom in grands) of the piano.  It is actually a large 
diaphragm which produces the sound you hear.  Now, you can't see any changes 
but it takes very little change at all to make the piano go out of tune.  
Unfortunately as well, when the piano does go sharp and flat with these 
changes, it does so unevenly and does it the worst right in the middle of the 
piano."

If the piano has a crack in the soundboard that opens and closes, I point 
that out to the customer.  After they see it do that a few times, the 
Dampp-Chaser system is easier to sell.  If they have more questions such as 
why it is worse across the bass/tenor break, I answer them but if they don't 
ask questions, I leave it at that.  If they still seem skeptical as in, "Well 
I used to have this one tuner for years until he retired.  Why didn't *he* 
ever tell me that.?"  I tell them what I told you, that I didn't know or 
understand it myself for many years, then I go get a PTG handout from a 
binder that I keep in my car.  I say, "Here is a PTG publication that 
explains the problem".

By the way, I *never* guarantee a tuning.  I tell them it can't be done if 
they ask that question but I explain why.  I rarely have a complaint, however 
about a failed piano tuning in a short time period.  I learned to implement 
the many kinds of techniques that are spoken about on this List that I 
learned by attending PTG Regional Seminars and Conventions.  I learned some 
of my most important techniques for achieving a stable tuning over 20 years 
ago from Jim Coleman RPT and the late George Defebaugh RPT.

Sincerely,

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin