recommendations for piano buyer

[Farrell]

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Thanks for responding Wim. It helps us with less experience to get an =
idea what we can shoot for, with regard to time spent on tasks. I have a =
few comments below. I have been tuning for just over 3 years, and =
rebuilding part time for 2.  Time & practice, that's all it takes, time =
& practice!
 =20
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Wimblees@AOL.COM=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 8:58 AM
  Subject: Re: recommendations for piano buyer


  In a message dated 7/18/01 5:15:59 AM Central Daylight Time,=20
  mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes:=20



    All by yourself? Or do you have employees, or sub out most of the =
work?=20
    Please help me. I'm getting overwhelmed by a feeling of inadequacy =
right=20
    about now.=20

    Terry Farrell  =20



  It depends on what you call "all by your self." Tunings I do all by my =
self.=20
  My wife does tune, but at the most 3 pianos a week. Most weeks she =
only tunes=20
  one, and she'll go 2 or 3 weeks without a tuning. Now that I don't =
have a=20
  store any more, I set my own appointments (my business phone is =
forwarded to=20
  my cell phone during the day, so I have very few calls to make at home =
in the=20
  evening.). In the evening I do my own paper work.=20

  I guess it is the rebuilding that gets you.=20

   - Yes.

  I don't do my own refinishing. I=20
  contract that out. I don't make my own bass strings, or bore my own =
hammers.=20
  But the rest I do myself.=20

  I schedule three or four days a week for tunings, then the other days =
in the=20
  shop. (sometimes I do a combination of shop and tunings, it just =
depends on=20
  who wants their piano tuned on what day). I do work 10 hour days, and =
most=20
  Saturdays. Now that I don't' have a store any more, I only work 2 =
Saturdays a=20
  month.=20

   -  That still only leaves you 10 to 15 days to rebuild a piano. =
That's moving! I tend to spend my first day just staring at the hulk =
wondering where to start. Then I need to shop and buy a major tool that =
I need. Then I need to build a table or major jig to do the job, etc., =
etc. It will be nice some day when I have most of my stuff together and =
operational.

  I am known to be a very fast worker. My employees, (when I had them) =
and=20
  colleagues in the business, are amazed at how much I get done in a =
day. It=20
  generally takes me about 45 minutes to tune a piano.

  -  Ouch, that hurts. Takes me 75 to 90 minutes to do a good two-pass =
tuning on a decent piano. Sometimes more on junk. I usually schedule a =
tuning every two hours when I do not anticipate the need for pitch =
raises.

  I can string a piano in=20
  about 6-8 hours.

    I'm blazing through a piano in about 20 hours.

  That's with the pin block in, and everything ready to go.=20
  But it does include tightening the coils, tapping the hitch pins and =
bridges,=20
  and one chip tuning. If I have time, and I'm up to it physically, I =
can even=20
  hang a set of dampers and give the piano a tuning before I quit for =
the day.=20

  -  Jeesh!

  I hope I didn't overwhelm you,

  -  You do, but that is OK.

   but, yes, it is possible to bring in the kind=20
  of money I mentioned. But you have to work very hard to be able to do =
that.=20
  The other thing is, I love my job.

  -  Ditto.

  Occasionally, as I am tuning a lousy=20
  spinet, I think about doing something else. But then when I get done, =
and the=20
  customer thanks me for making here piano sound beautiful, I get over =
that=20
  feeling, and happily go on to my next appointment.=20

    -  Sounds like you got it made dude!!!  :-)

  Wim=20

    Thanks for the chat.

    Terry Farrell

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