<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4522.1800" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Thanks for responding Wim. It helps us with less experience to get = an idea what we can shoot for, with regard to time spent on tasks. I have a few = comments below. I have been tuning for just over 3 years, and rebuilding part time for 2.  Time & practice, that's all it takes, time = & practice!</DIV> <DIV> <SPAN id=__#Ath#SignaturePos__></SPAN> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE 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=Wimblees@AOL.COM = href="mailto:Wimblees@AOL.COM">Wimblees@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, July 18, 2001 = 8:58 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: recommendations = for piano buyer</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a = message dated 7/18/01 5:15:59 AM Central Daylight Time, <BR><A href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com</A> = writes: <BR><BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE">All by yourself? Or do you have employees, or sub out = most of the work? <BR>Please help me. I'm getting overwhelmed by a feeling = of inadequacy right <BR>about now. <BR><BR>Terry Farrell   = <BR></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR><BR>It depends on what you call "all by your self." Tunings I = do all by my self. <BR>My wife does tune, but at the most 3 pianos a week. = Most weeks she only tunes <BR>one, and she'll go 2 or 3 weeks without a tuning. = Now that I don't have a <BR>store any more, I set my own appointments (my = business phone is forwarded to <BR>my cell phone during the day, so I have very = few calls to make at home in the <BR>evening.). In the evening I do my own = paper work. <BR><BR>I guess it is the rebuilding that gets you. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> - <FONT size=3>Yes.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>I don't do my own refinishing. I <BR>contract that out. I don't = make my own bass strings, or bore my own hammers. <BR>But the rest I do = myself. <BR><BR>I schedule three or four days a week for tunings, then the = other days in the <BR>shop. (sometimes I do a combination of shop and tunings, it = just depends on <BR>who wants their piano tuned on what day). I do work 10 = hour days, and most <BR>Saturdays. Now that I don't' have a store any more, = I only work 2 Saturdays a <BR>month. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3> -  That still only leaves you 10 to 15 = days to rebuild a piano. That's moving! I tend to spend my first day just = staring at the hulk wondering where to start. Then I need to shop and buy a major = tool that I need. Then I need to build a table or major jig to do the job, = etc., etc. It will be nice some day when I have most of my stuff together = and operational.</FONT><BR><BR>I am known to be a very fast worker. My = employees, (when I had them) and <BR>colleagues in the business, are amazed at = how much I get done in a day. It <BR>generally takes me about 45 minutes to tune = a piano.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>-  Ouch, that hurts. Takes me 75 to 90 = minutes to do a good two-pass tuning on a decent piano. Sometimes more on junk. I = usually schedule a tuning every two hours when I do not anticipate the need = for pitch raises.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>I can string a piano in <BR>about 6-8 hours.</DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  I'm blazing through a piano in about 20 hours.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>That's with the pin block in, and everything ready to go. <BR>But = it does include tightening the coils, tapping the hitch pins and bridges, = <BR>and one chip tuning. If I have time, and I'm up to it physically, I can even = <BR>hang a set of dampers and give the piano a tuning before I quit for the = day. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>-  Jeesh!</FONT><BR><BR>I hope I didn't = overwhelm you,</DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>-  You do, but that is OK.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV> but, yes, it is possible to bring in the kind <BR>of money = I mentioned. But you have to work very hard to be able to do that. = <BR>The other thing is, I love my job.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>-  Ditto.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>Occasionally, as I am tuning a lousy <BR>spinet, I think about = doing something else. But then when I get done, and the <BR>customer thanks = me for making here piano sound beautiful, I get over that <BR>feeling, and = happily go on to my next appointment. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  -  Sounds like you got it made = dude!!!  :-)</FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT = size=2><BR><BR>Wim <BR></FONT></FONT><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2><FONT = size=3></FONT> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2><FONT = size=3>Thanks for the chat.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2><FONT size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2><FONT = size=3>Terry = Farrell</FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT>= </FONT></BODY></HTML>