Well, I appreciate that, Wim, because I still have 7 children left at home
to feed.
Dean
Dean May cell 812.239.3359
PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272
Terre Haute IN 47802
_____
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of wimblees at aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2009 4:33 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Commercial value vs. sentimental value
Dean
There is a big difference between spending $400 - $500 on repairs to make
the piano playable for a few more years, and spending $4000 - $5000 to
rebuild the piano. I, too, have done, and will continue to do what you
describe. But to do more than that, no, I won't
Wim
-----Original Message-----
From: Dean May <deanmay at pianorebuilders.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:14 am
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Commercial value vs. sentimental value
We are here to provide a service, not make sure everyone ends up with a
premium high end piano. If we had our way, granted, nobody would have ever
purchased a Grand spinet to begin with. But people did, and they still make
poor choices in purchasing pianos, but it is their choice. It would be
rather elitest of us to forbid people from buying the pianos they want to
buy.
Similarly, once a customer has full disclosure, it is their choice whether
or not they wish to spend money on a piano. It is your choice to determine
whether you wish to accept the job or not. If you don't want to, then fine,
God bless you. But please do not make judgment calls against piano techs who
do take such jobs. They are merely providing a service to a customer with
full disclosure so they can buy bread to feed their children.
I have encountered hundreds of pianos on the bottom end of the spectrum that
haven't been tuned for years. They need hammers glued back on, keys eased,
pins CA'd, major pitch raise, whatever. Often they've been told by other
techs that the piano was untunable, shot, worthless, etc. But they still
kept the piano for years. They didn't trade it on a new Steinway. I do
$400-$500 worth of work, the piano is playable, the customer is happy, and I
have another tuning customer for repeat business. It ain't sexy, but it is
bread on the table, and it does keep another piano making music. Isn't that
what we are supposed to be about?
Dean
Dean May cell 812.239.3359
PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272
Terre Haute IN 47802
_____
From: <mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org> pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [
<mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org?> mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On
Behalf Of <mailto:wimblees at aol.com> wimblees at aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2009 3:26 PM
To : <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org> pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Commercial value vs. sentimental value
Chuck
I believe that your statement: "It wasn't that great of a piano to begin
with," for me begs the question, "How can you be so sure?" is what this
whole conversation is all about. Think of it in terms of what we know today.
Let's fast forward 50 years, and a customer asks you to restore/rebuild a
1970 Kincaid spinet, or a Grand console, because it has sentimental value.
What would you tell him/her? Low end pianos were not just built in the 50's
60's and 70's. They have been around since pianos were being made. It is our
job as professionals to know which pianos are worth restoring, and which are
not.
Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
Mililani, Oahu, HI
808-349-2943
Author of:
The Business of Piano Tuning
available from Potter Press
<http://www.pianotuning.com/> www.pianotuning.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Chuck Behm < <mailto:behmpiano at gmail.com> behmpiano at gmail.com>
To: <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org> pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 1:40 am
Subject: [pianotech] Commercial value vs. sentimental value
In the opinions expressed about the ethics of working on old uprights,
the guiding principle seems to be whether an old piano is "worth fixing" or
not. Most technicians posting their opinions think that in
Sentimental value is a very important concept to understand, in that it
trumps commercial value, is in many cases is by far the most important
consideration to the customer.
My mother's wedding and engagement rings, for me, are an example of how
important sentiment value can be. They are very slender golden rings, with a
very, very small stone set in the engagement ring. Commercially, the rings
together would be worth next to nothing. Sentimentally, however, they are
priceless to me. They are practically the only thing I have left of my folks
to remember them by, and the only thing that represents their 60 years of
marriage.
In the case of a piano with sentimental value such as this, I look the
instrument over with the customer and explain what we can and cannot do to
bring20the piano back to as close to the way it was when it was new as
possible.
What I can tell the customer is this:
1. When we finish with the piano, the case will be beautiful. Whether it's
ornate or plane, it will look as if it belongs on a showroom floor. The
finish will be glassy smooth, all chipped or damaged veneer will have been
repaired, and it will be the showpiece of any room.
2.
The statement that "It wasn't that great of a piano to begin with," for
me begs the question, "How can you be so sure?" Unless it's a brand you've
seen numerous times, and know from past experience will probably be a lemon
(as I would attest for Meldorf grands, having had 4 of them in the shop
over the years - I still will work on them, but only with the understanding
of the owner of what they are going to have when I'm done - which is not
much, from a tonal standpoint), it's hard to see what the piano was like
when it began when it's been banged around for a century or so. So many
brands are unfamiliar, even to an experienced technician. Flip through the
pages of the Pierce Piano Atlas, and see how many brands you recognize, and
how many you don't. I have a copy of the Atlas that I've kept since I
started in business in the early 1970's, that has a check mark besides every
brand I've encountered. There are far more names without a check mark than
with - and that's after over 35 years of working on pian os.
_____
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