WPTOTP?

[Tom Sivak]

List
   
  I just tuned an old Howard grand for a young couple.  The poor piano had been worked on by a technician who might possibly be the Worst Piano Technician On The Planet.  My criteria for WPTOTP?   A unique combination of poor technique or ability, and a who-gives-a-hoot attitude.
   
  Not only did he tell the piano owners that the plate was cracked and thus it would not be able to hold its tune (not true), his work on replacing the ivory keys looked like a 6 year old had done it.  Some ivory heads were put on so poorly that there was an eighth of an inch of bare wood on one side of the keystick, and an eighth inch of ivory overhanging the other edge.  Others were so crookedly glued in place that no one who cared about their work one iota could have left them that way.  Glue was not only on top of the ivories, when it came out the sides from putting too much on the key, he just left it there.  One white key had become glued to its neighbor because of that.  Many of the ivories he installed were extremely yellow and discolored, and did not match AT ALL the neighboring ivories.  They were clearly in the "reject" pile, and he thought they could pass on this old piano.
   
  How could anyone be so careless, so uncaring, so devoid of personal pride that he could allow himself to do such inferior work?  I'm not being picky here; this piano probably looked better before he put the ivories on.  I can't imagine that anyone is capable of such inferior work if they were actually trying.
   
  I asked them his name, but they had forgotten it.  They said that he seemed like he was "in a hurry" and wasn't interested in talking to them.  (We service the client---not the piano, my friend.)  It wouldn't have taken any longer to align the new ivories to fit the keysticks, nor would it have taken much more time to wipe off the glue that extruded out the sides.  
   
  I've always felt that piano technicians are such a conscientious and honorable lot.  The PTG creed, about putting the needs of the client foremost, etc., was just a redundancy, I felt.  No need to say it.  That's how we operate.  Well, now I know: there are tuners out there that just don't give a rat's patootie about the client.  Take the check and run.  I was naive to think otherwise, I guess.
   
  I'll be returning in January to replace the ivories with plastic, reshape the hammers, and do a little regulation work (the techie/jerk set the letoff so that hammers are blocking the strings in the treble).  It may not be much of a piano, but it's all they can afford, and it will hold a tune and meet their needs just fine.
   
  Tom Sivak
  Chicago
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20071129/1fe30241/attachment.html