Hi Listees. I'm looking for some opinions. I am responding to my first tuning complaint this morning at 9:30 EST. My question is going to be: Do I charge them for a tuning.......because the tuning did not hold......, or should I tune and not charge and get a couple PR stars on my forehead? Details follow: Subject is a 1968 Yamaha C7 in original condition. I would describe the condition as fair+. The piano is in a fundamentalist-type Christian church. AC goes on Wed. night and Sundays. No dehumidification system on piano. Client called up last night and said she had been meaning to call for the last three weeks because the pianist said the piano is flat (pianist is out of town - that's all I could get out of secretary). Service history follows: 2000 - Replace 4 bass strings & 4 treble strings Nov. 8, 2000 - Pitch Raise 10-25 cents Nov. 8, 2000 - Tune A440 May 17, 2001 - Tune A440 My piano Notes follow: SAT: 4.0 7.0 6.5 DOB: 0.0 Church wants this piano tuned (pre-scheduled) every 6 months. Piano inspection 11/8/00: Board: minimum crown, barely OK Bridges: DB minimal, but OK Strings: false beats, bass tone uneven Action: 55 - 60g DW, needs full regulation, Good candidate for balancing Hammers: original - should be replaced, but could be filed/shaped We have had a severe drought in Florida all winter. The rainy season finally started right at the end of June. I can't imagine that I will find the piano flat - it will most likely be sharp because I last tuned it near the end of a prolonged dry period and now it rains about 2" a day. Anyway, I know I tuned it right at A440 - and the rest of the piano sounded good (as good as this one will get!). In two months, I can only imagine the piano needs to be tuned - change of seasons, no climate control, AC on-and-off, etc. I have a hard time imagining that it is the tuner's fault! I expect I will find the piano out of tune and sharp. Quite obviously a goodly amount of education is due here. I will talk extensively about tuning stability, climate and climate control, and give them a Dampp-Chaser brochure. The bottom line is do I charge them for a tuning (if they have a pianist with an ear and considering climatic conditions, the piano should likely be tuned every 2 to 3 months), or should I do a complete tuning for free to preserve that "feel good" climate (as unstable as it is!).
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