[pianotech] Why schedules sometimes go pfffft.

[Gerald Groot]

Nice story Conrad.  I remember my dad telling me once when a customer was
going to have a baby that he drove her to the hospital.  On another
occasion, he changed a babies diapers when the lady was sick.  He was full
of stories like that.  Makes customers for life!

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Conrad Hoffsommer
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 5:03 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Cc: Susan Kline
Subject: [pianotech] Why schedules sometimes go pfffft.

 

I went to a new customer, today.  Local piano teacher.  Some warning bells
went off when she not only didn't know how long it had been since it was
tuned, but what brand of grand it was. (She later commented how good her old
Lowry had been... oops)  She also wanted me to clean the insides, fearing
the dust rabbits on the soundboard might be interfering with the function of
the instrument.

When I got there I recognized her as someone I'd seen in the music building
for years, but never been introduced.  We wound up chatting for at least 1/2
hour about my retirement, college profs, etc. and how/where I'd learned to
tune. (like a recent thread)

The beastie turned out to be a redone Bush & Lane 5' neo-natal which she'd
recently gotten from her Aunt and had been in storage +5 years while Auntie
had been in a nursing home and had no idea how long it had been untuned
before that.  It was ±100¢ flat.  

Cleaned the soundboard, etc. then Cybertuner to the rescue! The tuning was
about 3/4 done and going well when she came into the room, holding her arm,
asking me to phone her husband.  She had gone out to bring in the mail and
had fallen on the ice.

I called him and then took a closer look at her wrist.  It was already twice
the size of the other one.  I called 911. Husband, first responder and
ambulance were all soon there. Besides the wrist which was mostly likely
well broken, her shoulder was either dislocated or broken. 

I've tuned against Muzak, TV, vacuums, etc. but, trust me, you can't tune a
piano with a woman screaming in pain 10 feet away.

45 minutes later, after all had left, I finished the tuning, left the bill
on the piano, locked the door, went home and had a beer...  

Conrad Hoffsommer



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