[pianotech] FW: tuning pin tightness

[Gerald Groot]

I could not agree more with the follow up posts below.  Good advice.  Do not
turn it into your problem.  You give the advice, you set the price.  The
choices after that are theirs. 

 

Jer

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of William Monroe
Sent: Sunday, January 31, 2010 3:57 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] FW: tuning pin tightness

 

Les,

A have to agree with Ed.  Additionally, if you can't get the tuning done in
two hours (my time limit, and I know it's different for everyone) it's done
anyway.  Again, my time examples are my limits and YMMV, but for me, under
"normal" circumstances, I can get a Pitch Correction and Tuning done in  an
hour and 15 minutes.  If there are rendering issues or pin issues, etc., I
can see going a little longer and just grumbling a bit.  But at 2 hours,
it's done, unless I'm billing for something else.  If it can't reasonably be
tuned in 2 hours, it's time for a dialogue with the client, included the
various remedies.  The client can then choose between paying me for 8 hour
tunings, or referring the problem to the manufacturer, etc.  Don't make the
problem piano your PROBLEM, make it your task.  I've always felt that it was
up to me to communicate to my clients what they have, what they could have,
and the associated costs.  Offer them the solutions and allow them to choose
the appropriate one, with my guidance.  

Good luck,
William R. Monroe




On Sun, Jan 31, 2010 at 11:56 AM, Ed Foote <a440a at aol.com> wrote:

Les writes: 

I am getting within a couple cents on most notes, but it's a four-hour
tuning.  I don't particularly like that kind of stress. The gig involves all
three pianos Sunday night.  I got the Shigueru done today, and one pass of
each Estonia- 8 hours with a fifteen minute break for lunch.  I'll put four
hours in tomorrow..  No, I'm not being paid extra, except the man in charge
said I needed to put a surcharge on the one Estonia.  

 

One question I have learned to ask myself in deciding whether I wanted to
keep a customer is, "What if all tunings were like this".  

          12 hours of tuning three pianos?  Something is not adding up. 
When you count the number of unpaid hours it seems that you are losing, it
would be cheaper for you to restring the piano, for free. 
If you tune them as is, and you charge your hourly fee, the owners will
decide on a course of action that is good for everybody, except a warranty
department somewhere.  I suggest your first responsibility is to yourself,
and this sounds like you, with your own efforts, are subsidizing a
manufacturer by keeping a problem from going home to roost. A second
responsibility we all have is to the trade, so letting manufacturers know
where they are hurting themselves is good for everybody.
Regards, 

Ed Foote RPT
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html

 

 

 

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