Sunday ramblings

[Dean May]

It can get discouraging trying to sell a DC system. But I stopped worrying
about it. I just cast the bread out on the water, and every once in awhile
something comes up to take the bait. DC offers a super nice magazine size
brochure that is really cheap in quantity. When I pitch a system to a church
I show them their tuning record with the humidity swings- usually at +/- 10
to cents every 6 months. I tell them the DC system does not keep the piano
from needing tuned, but it does keep it nicer between tunings and it keeps
it closer to pitch. This is critical in churches that have bands or where
the piano is played with an organ. Then I give them 1-2 brochures so they
have something to present to the board. It is an easy sell in situations
where they complain of the piano not staying in tune. Since I have extensive
history with the system and plenty of anecdotal evidence I can confidently
tell them that installing the complete system will make a huge difference in
stability. 

I have never used the string cover. I get great results without it. 

I do have problems with a very few customers where the piano gets unplugged.
It is frustrating. But most are very good at leaving them plugged in and
full of water. 

Another upside to having a large number of installations that you regularly
tune is the automatic upsell. Once a year I get an extra $12-20 for changing
the pads and a bottle of treatment. Nobody bats an eye at the upsell. I
don't even have to ask permission. I just automatically change the pads in
the Fall and ask if they need more treatment. DC recommends changing them
twice a year but I find once a year in the Fall is more than adequate. I did
a set of pads w/treatment today and I'll do two tomorrow. Nice bonus.

Dean

Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 

PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 

Terre Haute IN  47802

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ron Nossaman
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 10:08 AM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Sunday ramblings



> Interesting. We have pretty radical humidity swings here in Indiana, but I
> am finding lots of pianos with a DC system and cover on a regular schedule
> to be +/- 1 cent. In fact, just last Friday I tuned a G5 with full system
> that was -4 cent and I was surprised it was out that much. I have found,
> generally, that adding the cover will keep it more stable than that. 
> Dean


So I hear, and it would certainly be a welcome change from 
what I'm used to. Heck, I've *always* been willing to be 
spoiled. But I've not sold, nor even seen locally, a D-C 
installation with either back or bottom cover. In the unlikely 
event that there is a D-C at all, and it is against all odds 
still plugged in and has water in the tank, the over the top 
cover just means I get to wait for the strings to settle down 
from the temperature difference before I can tune it, and the 
low tenors are still out by more than 4c at that.


Just for the record, I think the D-C system is terrific. The 
problems tend to be associated with the willingness of the 
piano owners to spend the time, money, and brain cells to 
listen to the education attempts, see the value of the system, 
and be willing to spend the money to install it and the time 
maintaining it. I don't think I've tuned a D-C equipped piano 
that I haven't at least once found unplugged or dry. For too 
many of them, this is the expected condition. For the most 
part, I find people will more likely put up with 10c-20c pitch 
changes twice a year and suffer the result than to buy a 
humidity control system that they have to maintain in any way. 
I don't get it, but that's what I find here. The other side of 
that is those who have purchased the system, and can't seem to 
grasp the concept of how it works, despite repeated 
description/quiz attempts. They seem to think the unit 
contains tuning, and is to be plugged in only to refill the 
piano when the tuning gets "noticeably" rough or they receive 
some sort of cosmic vibe telling them it's time. And those 
lights are blinking again, but they still don't know what that 
means - if they notice, or don't unplug it to make the lights 
stop. Surely all these people don't work at the DMV, but maybe 
so. Again, I don't get it.

Then I get the "I thought this was supposed to keep the piano 
in tune" posture three years after installation, when they 
finally give up on the unit "healing" the tuning and call me 
to complain. Yes, I explained in detail but, no, it didn't stick.

Maybe it's just Uncle Wookie's quantum mechanics' rule of 
localized reality that doesn't apply outside my personal 
Schwarzschild radius. Wouldn't be the first time it's 
happened. Comes with being a quantum mechanic, I guess...
Ron N