Gotcha, Will. Thanks for explaining. I understand where you're coming from now. Brian From: surfdog at metrocast.net To: pianotech at ptg.org Date: Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:25:09 -0500 Subject: Re: [pianotech] Reversing Crown Hi Brian: Perhaps I inadvertently left the impression that I that I had placed this oilcan surprise in a somewhat adversarial relationship with my customer, the church and their music committee. This was not the case. I never had a discussion with them about me walking away from the job with the piano apart. What I did do was prepare myself with enough information and understanding of what was going on with the piano to have an informed discussion with them, to place enough information in their hands that they could go back to their committee meeting with a good knowledge of what was going on, and make a decision that best served their interests. I had a lengthy phone discussion with their contact person, answered his questions as completely as possible, and did so in a dispassionate manner. I ended that discussion with the observation that I understood that they would have to perhaps take some time to arrive at a decision, and that I would stop working until they made their decision.. They called me two days later with the go ahead. I also placed a revised estimate in the mail to them. I think it important to leave them with the feeling that I had consideration for the fact that they had placed their trust in me and that I was spending their money The pinblock was shot on this piano, which was the reason for them initially contacting me for the estimate, which meant that the piano was unplayable anyway, and could not be returned to them in playable condition without completing at least part of the rebuild (block and strings, and I was also rebuilding the action and finishing the case). If they had wanted me to do that, I would have had to charge them to do so. But they understood that this was a very compromised choice, and had enough funds to do the job right. What further pushed them into the new board was the fact that I was already spending a lot of their money. They don’t want to spend money badly, they certainly don’t want to spend a lot of money badly. Both of us were pleased with the result and choice. You would have the plate out to fully expose the soundboard if you were going to refinish the board or shim it, and if you were replacing the pinblock. Virtually all rebuilders pull the plate for a variety of reasons. But the plate would not even have to be out for you to measure the crown on an unloaded board, since measurements are taken with a string, straight edge, or some crown measuring device on the underside of the soundboard between the ribs. As Ron has elsewhere said, us rebuilders should be taking extensive crown readings and downbearing readings. For myself, I measure and quantify the crown at every rib I can get at, and take about a dozen down bearing readings. That doesn’t mean there will never be any surprises, but it does lessen the likelihood. And all those measurements tell the story of the condition of the board To answer your question about what would I have done, that really would have come from a continuation of the discussion with the church committee. I certainly would have had to be very clear as to how compromised the results would be if I did anything less than put in a new board. What I wanted to do was put in a new board, because it was the only good choice to make in terms of the needs of the piano. If they wanted me to string it as it was, I would have done so. It’s their piano, their decision, and their money. I strive to give my customers an accurate and detailed estimate, and try to deviate from that as little as possible. Still, once you get into the job there can be hidden surprises in many different places that are not readily foreseeable until after the piano is apart. Do you stick slavishly to the estimate and do less than you know the piano really needs, or do you do the job right? Of course, you will need to explain this to your customer and get their approval. I also allow myself a 15 % override, as written into the estimate. Ultimately, it’s all based on trust and their faith in you. That’s the real grease of the relationship, not the paper the estimate is written on. Good people skills, along with meticulous truthfulness, are what keep you out of court. Will Truitt _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20091224/07f6f256/attachment.htm>
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