Concert Prep - what is it and what it isn't?

[Jon Page]

At 03:51 PM 10/13/2000 +0200, you wrote:
>Hi listee's, so despite my post of last week with my casino piano woes it
>seems I have some more "concert work" coming my way. hate it, hate it, hate
>it. The reason, I try to avoid it and stay with the domestic work of
>household tunings which is done on my own determined time schedule, honestly
>hate time constraints - RPT exam was a minor nightmare.
>
>So, the piano in question is a S&S C, it has (for me) a very shallow touch
>(seems to be at under 8mm though didnt measure acurately and tight key
>bushings, dusty, damper regulation problems etc.
>
>In an artical that Susan Kline wrote recentlly she said that she spent her
>own time working on a Baldwin, getting results that she used later. I'm not
>saying I'll do that but given the time - what amount of time should I look
>at? what should I work on? do I try and re-regulate the piano to specs I
>have from that Steinway book which has blow at 1 7/8" (47mm) and touch at
>9.5mm or as "it works", leave it?

Don't do any work which has not been approved. You need to plan time
for adjustments and not try to fit them into the tuning time slot.


>For those of you who do this as a regular activity, is your tuning charge
>more than a domestic tuning, your time preping; how much per hour in
>relation to your tuning price - give me a percentage difference rather than
>a dollar price.

My increased fee for concert work includes action inspection for drifted center
pins and repetition spring  / back check touch up. Anything beyond this is
mentioned to the owner for adjustment later.

As for price, if you charge $75.00 for a normal tuning and it takes 1.5 hr;
then your hourly rate could be $50/hr. Or can set different hourly rates for
technical work if you like.

>Have there been articals in the journal that I have missed or not
>duplicated?
>
>Brian Lawson, RPT
>Johannesburg, South Africa

Jon Page,   piano technician
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass.
mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net
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