[pianotech] Reversing Crown

[erwinspiano at aol.com]

  Hi Will
  Well done. Well said.  Trust is the real currency and professional capital of or of our occupation. It's humbling, and gratifying.
  Dale

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
 
 
 
 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of erwinspiano at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2009 5:36 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Reversing Crown

 




  Having been on church elder boards that balance budgets,activities and maintenace issues my experience is that there many really good hearted people involved who either run their own businesses or have skills of disernment in many areas. Honesty is the best policy & honest miscalculations are recieved with understanding...Honesty is always the best policy and respect comes right behind it. Chin up mate...plan B

  Dale

Ok, help me understand this (mainly the words in bold).  I'm not trying to be ugly in any sense of the word, just trying to understand.
 
At the point where you find the zero or negative crown surprise, I'm assuming you've already destrung at a minimum.  Are you going to "walk away from the job" with the piano unstrung and just return it to them that way?  Or are you going to give it a quick restring in an attempt to put it back in it's original condition to return it?  Or are you going to perform the work you originally contracted for... which doesn't sound like "walking away", but maybe could be interpreted that way?
 
Some have mentioned finding negative crown after having removed a soundboard so if you haven't contracted for removing (replacing, or possibly repairing?) the soundboard in the first place, you wouldn't have it out to find that negative crown.
 
It is good that the church in your example went for the new board.  In for a penny, in for a pound.  But had they not, at what point were you in the tear down process and what would you have done at that point?  Or what would you have wanted to do in that point?  
 
Again, not trying to pick on you, but I'm having a hard time mentally getting to an answer that would be good for both parties and stand up in front of a judge.  
 
Hoping you can help me understand.  Sincerely.
 
Thanks,
 
Brian
 

 

From: surfdog at metrocast.net
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:09:26 -0500
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Reversing Crown

I agree with David.  Twenty five years ago I rebuilt a 6’ 4” Vose grand for a church.  It had some positive downbearing before I tore it down.  After the plate was out, the crown had headed south for a permanent vacation, and obviously so.  I had heard from others that sometimes the strings are literally holding the crown and it lets go when they are removed.  That was my first and only.

 

I approached the church about replacing the board after having contacted my bellyman at the time and costing everything out.  I had prepared a detailed explanation why it needed to be done, and why it would be spending bad money to not do it, and be spending good money to do it – even though it was a considerable cost increase to them.  I explained it matter of factly and without apology (why would I apologize for a condition that I did not cause and could not have foreseen?)  They went for the new board, and were happy with the rebuild when done.

 

It is simply too heavy a load to bear for you to assume the cost of replacing the soundboard.  You are not that far into the job yet, and I would simply walk away from the job if they are not inclined to proceed.

 

I don’t think it is that common for us to have this kind of surprise, but it does happen.

 

As others have said already, taking a number of careful down bearing readings and crown readings when doing the estimate make such an ugly surprise a  less likely occurrence.  

 

It is also important to have a written disclaimer in your estimate about unforeseen conditions before teardown.  Resist the impulse to split the difference with them, they will believe it is your fault if you do.   

 

It is also possible that the reason why the board has oilcanned is related to bad work done originally at the factory lo those many years ago.  They weren’t always perfect in the factory in 1929 either, although we all want to believe those were the Golden Years.  But sometimes they drank their lunch on Friday back then too.  

 

Will Truitt

 


 


 

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