[pianotech] Damper Issue???

[Tom Driscoll]

Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2009 11:41 PM
  Subject: Re: [pianotech] Damper Issue???


        IBy the way Tom, when you twisted the bass string for your customer and it didn't work, did you still charge them for the time it took?  I'm only asking because I have had procedures done at the doctors office which did not work, but I still had to pay for it.

        Thanks again Tom,
        Matthew
         

        Matthew
           The twisting experiment was part of an evaluation for reconditioning.
         With the customer engaged in the process with me I evaluated the overall condition of the piano explaining along the way. 
        Let them hear the zinging dampers, and see the hammers way off line --- Regulate one note to demonstrate and compare to the neighbor  where there is  excessive lost motion,  letoff is 1/2" and maybe the hammer is bobbling .
         The bass string twist was to ascertain if they all could be improved and it did not work. 
        So technically no I did not charge for any of these tasks  but they accepted my proposal for reconditioning and regulation . I received a deposit and took the action back to the shop.
        If the customer had declined or wanted to wait on the procedure I would have charged a basic service charge to cover my time and then yes I would have been paid for the bass string twisting..
         The key is having the customer engaged and interested. If they took off and returned to get a speech on all that is wrong the job is harder to sell.

        By the way, from your recent clarification on the damper noise I concur with Daves post as a possiblity and that relates to my point . When you released the damper what happened? It hit the strings right? Did the sound coincide with that contact ? Cause and effect .Be an interested observer and  let the piano tell you what is wrong. 
        Tom D. 

        From Dave,

         What is described sounds more to me like a hard 
        felt 'zing' than a wire buzz.

        --Dave
         
          
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20091206/0d0bdd00/attachment.htm>