voicing new hammers

[David Love]

I don't know David, you kind of lost me on your point, and I think you
missed mine on the MacDonald's thing.  I never suggested the tech did
something wrong by not voicing them.  As I mentioned in an earlier post,
it's their piano and they have to play it so make them happy.  I have left
hammers alone on many occasions when I thought attention was needed but the
customer said they liked it as it was.  But think of it this way.  You take
your car in because it's running like sh--.  The mechanic changes the points
and plugs and let's you start it up.  It runs a hell of a lot better than it
did before and you are thrilled.  He says, "well do you want me to set the
timing".  You say, "hell no, it's running great now, why fu--, with it".
Should he say okay and let you drive it out?  Or should he try and explain
the importance of setting the timing?  Personally, I'd rather he just did
what was considered a necessary part of the job.  That is, unless he didn't
know how to set the timing.  Then I guess I'd rather he left it alone but
tell me about it so I could decide if I wanted to have someone else set the
timing.

By the way, In 'n Out burgers are definitely better than MacDonalds, but
then there's no accounting for taste.

David Love


----- Original Message -----
From: <Kdivad@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: August 11, 2002 5:55 PM
Subject: Re: voicing new hammers


In a message dated Sun, 11 Aug 2002 11:10:55 AM Eastern Standard Time,
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net writes:


With all due respect David, whos taste are you talking about, yours or the
customers.  Here in Texas, I'm afraid to say, I know many people who prefer
Mcdonalds.  Taste is not changed just by exposure or sales technique, taste
has to do with how you were brought up, where you live and what you are used
to.  Taste also has to do with comfort.  There are many people out there who
are comfortable where they are and are not interested in seeking different
experiences, tastes or styles and even if they do they will always go back
to what they are comfortable with.  We can try to gently persuade them and
enlighten them, but the truth is we can't force them.  You and I may know
what we are looking for in getting the most out of a hammer but the customer
may not even be able to hear what we hear. The truth is you and I may not
even be able to agree on what is the correct sound.
I think what bothers me most about this thread has been the innuendo that
just because the customer loved the sound of the hammers as is and the tech
didn't force them to let him voice them, he did something wrong. The truth
is he tried to convince the customer to let him do some voicing and she
refused, so wisely he dropped it, but he didn't drop the ball because he has
followed up and the customer is still thrilled.  How could he have handled
this situation better?



David Koelzer
Vintage Pianos
DFW