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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If you just spent $4K to $12K+ on a new vertical
piano and it didn't hold a tune, would you be satisfied with oversized tuning
pins, with the resultant uneven pin torque and differing pin feel (making it
more difficult for tuning over the next xx decades)? I sure
wouldn't.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But that's beside the point - IMHO, the piano
technician has one immediate responsibility - to be honest with the piano owner
and the store - identify the problem and inform both parties that the piano will
not hold a tune and it appears a number of tuning pins are low torque. It is not
the piano techs place to recommend to the customer a fix - the store owner
should be inquiring of the piano tech a recommended fix. Conversations regarding
a fix should be restricted to between the store and the customer.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now, if the store owner tells the piano owner that
they recommend an inadequate fix, and the store owner asks the tech to do
it, that's when the piano tech needs to put his/her thinking cap on and
consider things like loyalty to the piano store, lines where professional ethics
dictate one way or another, etc., etc. Personally, this is why I don't do much
work for stores - I have had a number of negative experiences with some piano
store owners (some, not all! - some are very ethical.).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"> </DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I doubt there are
structural problems. Probably the drill bit got dull on the bottom row and
made the holes a little larger. It can probably be fixed just fine with
oversize pins on the ones that are loose. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Pianos with extremely
hard pin blocks have very little tolerance for variation in hole size or
variation in pin size. If the hole gets a little large or the pin a little
small on the tolerance side the pin will be loose. It does not mean there is a
structural problem. Given the modern piano designer’s propensity to use too
many laminations it is extremely unlikely that there is a structural problem
in the pin block. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Talk to the tech
support person of the manufacturer. They will probably have an established
protocol. The trick will be in what you have already communicated to the
customer. If you have already prepped the customer to expect nothing less than
a new piano, then that is probably the only thing that will satisfy them. On
the other hand if you communicate that the mfr will solve the problem you will
probably have netted yourself an easy re-pin job.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dean<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2>
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of
</SPAN></B>piannaman@aol.com<BR></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> Just got home from a client's home. She
just purchased a piano around 3 months ago, and I was contracted by the store
to do a warranty tuning. While raising the pitch, I noticed a couple of
loose tuning pins...then another, another, another, etc. All along the
bottom row of pins. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I called the owner of the store--a good friend of
mine, btw--and told him that the piano should be returned to the factory in
exchange for a sound instrument, as it is structurally unsound, and that any
repair done to it would be unsuitable to undertake in the customer's
home.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">What thinketh y'all?
</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>