<!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:st1 = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content=Word.Document name=ProgId> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1505" name=GENERATOR> <META content="Microsoft Word 10" name=Originator><LINK href="cid:filelist.xml@01C58856.D987D550" = rel=File-List><o:SmartTagType name="PersonName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagT= ype> <STYLE>@font-face { font-family: Tahoma; } @font-face { font-family: Bradley Hand ITC; } @font-face { font-family: MS Sans Serif; } @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; = mso-header-margin: .5in; mso-footer-margin: .5in; mso-paper-source: 0; } P.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: "Times = New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; = mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman" } LI.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: "Times = New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; = mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman" } DIV.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: "Times = New Roman"; mso-style-parent: ""; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; = mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman" } A:link { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single } SPAN.MsoHyperlink { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single } A:visited { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single } SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; text-underline: single } P.MsoAutoSig { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; = mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman" } LI.MsoAutoSig { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; = mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman" } DIV.MsoAutoSig { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman"; = mso-pagination: widow-orphan; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman" } SPAN.EmailStyle17 { COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-style-type: personal-reply; = mso-style-noshow: yes; mso-ansi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: = 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; = mso-bidi-font-family: Arial } SPAN.GramE { mso-style-name: ""; mso-gram-e: yes } DIV.Section1 { page: Section1 } </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY lang=EN-US style="tab-interval: .5in" vLink=blue link=blue = bgColor=#ccccff> <DIV> Wouldn't it be great if a list = collection existed for all of the different analogies and descriptions used by us = to cover this subject? Dean, I cannot imagine it being stated more elegantly than = you have done here! It goes to the root of "What is quality?" = David Patterson, RPT Patterson and Company Exclusively Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver Specialists for 15 Years  </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left>-----Original Message----- From: Dean May [mailto:deanmay@pianorebuilders.com] Sent: July 14, 2005 = 10:32 AM To: 'Pianotech' Subject: RE: room climate control </DIV> <DIV class=Section1> Yes these = systems really work and it may require a rethinking of how we market the need = for tuning. 3 to 7 cents sharp in the middle means that the piano won’t = sound awful and may not even be really noticeable to the customer but it = will definitely make it sound a little ripe. The customer may not be able = to identify the sound as being out of tune because the onset is so = gradual. But it certainly won’t be performing at its optimum. = <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> In such = situation I relay to the customer that oftentimes people tell me that they find = themselves playing the piano more right after it gets tuned. This is because the = piano sounds so great! They are getting more enjoyment out of their playing = and they will play it more. As it gradually starts drifting it won’t really = sound out of tune but they won’t get as much enjoyment and may find themselves = playing it less. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The = question is when did the piano get to be 3 to 7 cents sharp? I suspect it wasn’t just = the week before you got there. It was probably +/- 2 to 3 at 4 months and +/- 3 = to 7 at 9 months. That means for most of the year that she has waited to get = her piano tuned it has been out of tune, it has not been optimum. It may have = sounded “okay” but she has been cheating herself out of what her piano is = capable of. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The answer = to the question of “how often should I get it tuned?” is how badly do you = want it to go out before you get it retuned? Most of us could return to one of = our tunings a week or two later and do some tweaking. The piano starts to = go out as soon as we are done tuning. The goal of a regular tuning schedule = is to keep the piano IN TUNE and not to let it get OUT OF TUNE. Alan’s = customer is a classical pianist. She needs her piano to be in tune every time she = sits down to play. For it to be out 7 cents is way too much = for such a pianist, even though it may sound “okay.” Does she want her = ears to become accustomed to the sound of an out of tune piano? Because that = is what she is training them to accept by allowing her piano to go out that = much. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <DIV> Dean<o:p></o:p> <st1:PersonName>Dean May</st1:PersonName>           &n= bsp; cell 812.239.3359<o:p></o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272<o:p></o:p> Terre Haute = IN  47802<o:p></o:p></DIV> <o:p> </o:p> -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Alan = Barnard Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 = 10:43 PM To: = Pianotech Subject: RE: room climate control <o:p> </o:p> <DIV> <DIV> Piano: 1903 = Steinway S, nice home, older lady, excellent classical pianist, A/C seldom used = even though we have tropical, steamy summers. Installed a full DC about 14 = months ago, tuned it two months later. No undercover, for reasons too = complicated to explain.<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV>  <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> Story: Called = for 6 month tuning, she said it "sounded okay" and she'd like to wait 'til = it's been a year (We've heard THAT before, haven't we?). Tuned the piano this = morning (12 months). The center notes were about 3 to 7 cents sharp (the = remains of Hurricane What'sitsname just dumped two days of rain on us), the = bass was ON, the treble was CLOSE, the high treble was ON. I did very little = actual pin turning to tune that piano.<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV>  <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> Result: She = said: "Isn't that great. I can just tune it once a year!"  Hmmm .... happy = customer, annual tuning fees cut in half for her—and for me, dang it. I've got = her half talked into a full reg/voicing job which the piano desperately needs, = so that'll help make up for it.<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV>  <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> Moral: Once = again, I have seen and heard results that make me a staunch, avid, perhaps = rabid believer in DC systems. As long as they are kept plugged in and = maintained (a big IF in many cases...) they really, really work.<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV>  <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> <DIV> Alan Barnard<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> Salem, Missouri<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV>  <o:p></o:p></DIV></DIV></DIV> <DIV>  <o:p></o:p></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: = medium none; MARGIN-TOP: 5pt; PADDING-LEFT: 4pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5pt; = PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; MARGIN-LEFT: 3.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: black 1.5pt = solid; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none"> <DIV> ----- = Original Message ----- <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV style="font-color: black"> From: <A title=pianoforte@pianofortesupply.com href="mailto:pianoforte@pianofortesupply.com">Piano Forte = Supply</A> <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> To: = <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A><o:p></o:p>= </DIV> <DIV> Sent: 07/13/2005 4:59:41 PM <o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> Subject: room climate control<o:p></o:p></DIV> <DIV> <o:p> </o:p></DIV> I have a = client with a 7' Kawai grand in a basement studio.  The Relative Humidity  is always on the high side (60%).  I urged him = to monitor the humidity with an electronic hygrometer and to get a dehumidifier. He did this, however the controller on the = dehumidifier in very inaccurate.  With the controller set at 40%, it cut out = when the humidity is still above 60%.  The manufacturer told him = they are all not precise.  He has searched for higher end units, but = even the manufacturers of these do not guarantee the precision of their controllers. I would prefer to control the environment in the = studio because it "should" be a straight forward thing to do.  I feel = a Piano Life Saver System will simply always be fighting the higher humidity = in the room. I have thought of using a Piano Life Saver humidistat = to control a simple room de-humidifier.  Would this work?  = Would he need a re! lay  between the humidistat and the de-humidifier? Any thoughts, and especially experiences, welcome. Jurgen Goering <A = href="http://www.pianofortesupply.com">www.pianofortesupply.com</A> = <o:p></o:p></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTM= L>