this property is condemned...what would you have done?

[Robin Blankenship]

Avery,

Ditto. I worked for a couple of years for a very well known and large east coast piano retail chain and saw them have to "eat" several brand new grands of various makes simply because there was a gross tech problem up front with the piano. In one or two cases, that retail company stopped carrying certain brands because of that very thing. A piano IS or IS NOT of an acceptable level of quality and consistency coming out of the factory. If not, then it is the manufacturer's problem. This particular problem sounds like a very severe one. Work-arounds at this level of issue and at this stage of the piano's life are just not a smart way to proceed. 

IMTCWOHM (In my two cents' worth of humble opinion)

Robin Blankenship
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Avery 
  To: Pianotech List 
  Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 1:15 PM
  Subject: RE: this property is condemned...what would you have done?


  William, 

  As far as I'm concerned, that isn't the point! The point is that a 3 month old piano has loose tuning pins. Whatever the reason! And in that case, the manufacturer should replace it! I'm personally not going to "cover anyones ass" here! It's their fault and they should have to deal with it/accept the loss/whatever! Just my opinion! 

  Avery 

  At 10:16 AM 9/21/2006, you wrote:

    Having worked in that position, any piano you can save will save you a store contract and a supplier pat on the back.  No one makes money if the piano has to go back.  
     
    William
     
     
     
     
    PIANO BOUTIQUE
    William Benjamin
    Piano Tuner Extraordinaire
    www.pianoboutique.biz
    The tuner alone,
    preserves the tone.
     

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    From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [ mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Dean May
    Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 12:11 AM
    To: 'Pianotech List'
    Subject: RE: this property is condemned...what would you have done?
     
    I doubt there are structural problems. Probably the drill bit got dull on the bottom row and made the holes a little larger. It can probably be fixed just fine with oversize pins on the ones that are loose. 
     
    Pianos with extremely hard pin blocks have very little tolerance for variation in hole size or variation in pin size. If the hole gets a little large or the pin a little small on the tolerance side the pin will be loose. It does not mean there is a structural problem. Given the modern piano designer's propensity to use too many laminations it is extremely unlikely that there is a structural problem in the pin block. 
     
    Talk to the tech support person of the manufacturer. They will probably have an established protocol. The trick will be in what you have already communicated to the customer. If you have already prepped the customer to expect nothing less than a new piano, then that is probably the only thing that will satisfy them. On the other hand if you communicate that the mfr will solve the problem you will probably have netted yourself an easy re-pin job.
     
    Dean
     

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    From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [ mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of piannaman at aol.com
    Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 10:36 PM
    To: pianotech at ptg.org
    Subject: this property is condemned...what would you have done?
     
     Just got home from a client's home.  She just purchased a piano around 3 months ago, and I was contracted by the store to do a warranty tuning.  While raising the pitch, I noticed a couple of loose tuning pins...then another, another, another, etc.  All along the bottom row of pins.  
     
    I called the owner of the store--a good friend of mine, btw--and told him that the piano should be returned to the factory in exchange for a sound instrument, as it is structurally unsound, and that any repair done to it would be unsuitable to undertake in the customer's home.
     
    What thinketh y'all?  
     
     

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