"smelly piano"

[Farrell]

I recommend against using terminology like "COMPLETELY cleaned".  If it is
mold/mildew on interior surfaces, you know that there will be lots of
places/surfaces that will NOT be cleaned (all little action parts, bridge
pins, etc., etc.). Might be best to suggest "all reasonably accessable
interior surfaces will be cleaned to achieve the best practical results", or
something of the sort.

I used to be in the environmental cleanup industry & wrote alot of reports.
Too many lawyers beat it into me to eliminate terms such as all, always,
completely, every, etc. from my vocabulary. In spite of that advice coming
from attorneys, I think avoiding such terms is also being more accurate and
honest.

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Charly Tuner" <charly_tuner@hotmail.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2000 12:03 AM
Subject: "smelly piano"


> Got a call from a lady asking what I could do to rid her old upright (30
> years old) of a "blackish mildew-like substance", that she told me  gives
> off an almost unbearable odor. I am guessing, until I actually see it,
that
> it is indeed some kind of fungus/mildew. She also told me that she has
> sprayed the piano with diluted bleach, but that is only a short lived fix.
I
> told her that In order for the problem to go away, that the piano should
be
> COMPLETELY cleaned, and WIPED DOWN, with a water/bleach solution. I told
her
> that in order to do it correctly and completely, that it would most likely
> be an all day job, which I could do at her residence. I told her that if
the
> job took a total of 6 hours, that I would have to charge $400. Since I
have
> never done a job like this before, I based the fee on the equivalent of 5
> tunings at my standard $80 tuning fee. Does this sound reasonable for six
> straight hours of tedious detail work? A fellow tech in my area said he
> would probably charge $600-$700...this seems a tad excessive. Your
opinions
> are appreciated. Thanks!
>
> Terry Peterson
> Los Angeles, CA
> Associate Member, PTG
>
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