Piano Humidity Control System bashing

[Mike Bratcher]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
Earlier this month I had almost the identical situation.  I tuned a =
piano for a church.  I was referred to the church by one of the members. =
 She is the piano player.  She initially asked me about the =
dampp=3Dchaser system.  I set up a meeting with the interested members =
of the church and gave my lecture of the goods and bads of climate.  I =
thought I made had them convinced.  I called back several weeks later =
and the answer was no.  Ok.  Now the organ player needs her piano tuned. =
 Yes, she was one who attended the meeting.  Now 2 years later I came to =
tune her piano again.  It was 40 cents low.  Ok, she isn't home now...I =
have to make a decision.  I see an organ sitting next to the piano. I =
know they are played together.  Ok,  pitch raise time.  Fine.  She plays =
this thing to death.  Hammer wear had taken its toll.  Poor tone.  She =
must use the shift pedal too, because hammer alignment was off.  Anyway, =
I talk to her husband and explain to him about climate.  By the way =
humidity was at 24^%, which is pretty low for here.  I mention the =
climate control system, he's all for it.  He bought the piano for her =
and wants to keep it up.  I made an appointment with him to come back =
and reshape hammers and shim the action stop.  Just as I am about to =
leave the first tuning appointment she shows up.  She wants no part of a =
dampp-chaser.  She has been told by someone (she wouldn't say who) that =
these systems put too much water in the piano.  And this person has been =
in the "business for 40 years".  I told her I didn't care about what she =
had been told.  The laws of physics are taking their toll on her piano,  =
and something needed to be done.=20

As I went home that day, I thought about the situation.  Things like =
that get to me.  See, this calls my opinion into question.  But, she =
still had me come back the next week to file the hammers. =20

By the way, when I came back to shape hammers, the humidity had gone up =
to 33% and the tuning was all over the place.  I wasn't phased because I =
deal with climate changes far worse at my University job.

Mike Bratcher
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Dave Smith=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 7:28 PM
  Subject: Piano Humidity Control System bashing


  I've asked a couple of you privately for advice, but would like a =
wider opinion from this list. =20

  I left a DC brochure with a customer with a new Kawai Grand.    I was =
there for the first tuning in late Oct and their house was open, the =
humidity was high,  and the owner seemed very tuning-concious.  I =
explained the main effect would be tuning stability, but general piano =
health would be better, with more stable humidity and lower humidity =
also.  (Homes here with AC on can still vary from 50-70% humidity, in my =
experience, depending on outside temp and humidity, and AC system size =
and type.  Many cool days when people open their windows have humidity =
of 80% and up to 100% sometimes.  Technicians here normally install the =
heater bars and humidistats, but no humidifiers.)

  When I followed up for DC install and /or 6 month tuning, he had =
talked to their piano teacher, who has a studio in Cape Coral.  Was told =
that DC was a bad idea for a nice piano, and they "we are finding that =
they do more harm than good."  "Hot spots, etc,   better to not use one =
unless you have things sticking etc."

  This is a reputatable teacher who I believe is operating under either =
old infomation, false information, or no information.  Lots of techs, at =
least in this neck of the woods used to install the heater bars without =
humidistats, and maybe that is the source of his  belief. =20

  I told my customer that I believed his teacher was misinformed, and =
that I would talk to him.  Set up the tuning appt for the customer for =
May..  He is honestly convinced that he might be risking his piano by =
installing a system. =20

  I feel badly for two reasons.  First, my judgement is in doubt.  =
Second, the customer possibly believes that I am just trying to sell him =
something to line my own pockets.  I did tell him that I only make about =
the cost of one tuning when I install the system.   And that he would =
likely need tuning less often with the system.    So over a period of =
time, I actually may lose income.

    I am a believer in the systems, as long as they are properly =
installed with humidistats. Have one in my own Yamaha grand piano and it =
has made an incredible difference in tuning stability.  But I have also =
found in the past that debating with someone who already has made up his =
mind is neither fun nor fruitful.

  What do you think.  What would you do?=20

  Dave Smith=20
  SW FL
---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/c5/56/27/c7/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--