<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:v = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m = "http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16643" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE>@font-face { font-family: Cambria Math; } @font-face { font-family: Calibri; } @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; } P.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman","serif" } LI.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman","serif" } DIV.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman","serif" } P.msochpdefault { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-style-name: msochpdefault; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto } LI.msochpdefault { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-style-name: msochpdefault; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto } DIV.msochpdefault { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-style-name: msochpdefault; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto } SPAN.emailstyle17 { mso-style-name: emailstyle17 } SPAN.EmailStyle19 { COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-style-type: personal } SPAN.EmailStyle20 { COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-style-type: personal-reply } .MsoChpDefault { mso-style-type: export-only } DIV.Section1 { page: Section1 } </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY lang=EN-US vLink=#000000 link=#000000 bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michelle,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Perhaps you could become a master of "quick & dirty" repairs--I mean that in a good way!   For example, the split bridge repair we saw recently with the rod replacing the bridge pins. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When I was faced with school pianos that needed "so much,"  I decided on a plan of attack--not doing everything they needed at once, but taking care of issues gradually.  It's sort of hard sometimes to think and work with that system, but it can be done.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Barbara Richmond, RPT</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>near Peoria, IL</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"><B>From:</B> <A title=michelle@smithpianoservice.com href="mailto:michelle@smithpianoservice.com">Michelle Smith</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">'Pianotech List'</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, April 10, 2008 8:09 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: Clunker pianos - what do you do?</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV class=Section1> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Thanks to everyone who has responded to my e-mail.  You’re really helping me sort out my thoughts on this issue.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">As Paul stated, sometimes there is still life in these pianos but very often the owner is expecting a miracle.  I guess it comes from our society of instant gratification.  The piano tuner is supposed to make the piano work again just like the appliance repairman makes the dishwasher work again.  Instead I sometimes have to be the bearer of bad news.  Repairs are costly and many people here just can’t afford it.  I want people to be happy and instead we both get frustrated.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Concerning passing these pianos off to less experienced techs….I’m it!   Ha Ha Ha!  The older gentleman who owns the local music shop and tunes pianos can’t see well enough to do the repairs so he’s passing ALL of his repair work to me.  Most Austin techs are unwilling to make the drive so if I don’t fix them they won’t get fixed.  Ironically, this is why I got into this business in the first place.  I saw a need in our community and I jumped in.  <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Thanks to everyone for listening to my mental wanderings.  <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Have a super Thursday!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Michelle<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><BR><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">This is a perfect opportunity to involve less experienced technicians, associates, those who are just beginning, to take on some of these jobs in order to learn the craft. As well, in some instances, as we have here in Chicago, some of these pianos are marginally enough useful to pass on by donation to those who can't afford a piano. We started <I>A Gift of PIanos</I> about 9 years ago, and now the Chicago chapter of the PTG runs the program. <BR><BR><BR><BR>Paul</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV id=u8CA68EB00AEFDE6-1248-258A> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 7.5pt"> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>