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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I got a little lesson recently on how a =
piano
technician's reputation can be affected by inaccurate reports from a =
piano
owner.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I went to a new customer's home to give =
recommendations
and an estimate to repair/improve an old small cheap grand. She =
mentioned that
it hadn't sounded good since Mr. So-And-So worked on it a year or so =
ago. I
asked her what Mr. So-And-So had done to the piano. She mentioned =
something with
the action and he replaced some strings. She was not happy with the =
work. She
said she would never let Mr. So-And-So back in her home.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Well, the action was 75 years old, very worn, =
deeply
grooved hammers, sharps disappearing below the naturals, many notes =
not
even going through let-off, etc. I noticed that there was a new-looking =
set of
let-off buttons installed on the action. The original strings were =
rusty,
so it was easy to spot the two newer replaced strings. The pins =
were high,
the coil spread out down to the plate, and one coil was even installed =
BACKWARDS
(as in coiled the wrong way)!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I know Mr. So-And-So from our local PTG chapter. =
I have
had several professional interactions with him (including taking a grand =
regulation class from him at a PTG convention). I have visited his shop =
(where
he was converting a Collard & Collard single escapement action to a =
modern
action). He gives at least one or two excellent technicals at the local =
PTG
chapter meetings every year. This guy has 20 years of top-notch =
experience. He
teaches regularly at PTG conventions. He is a nice helpful guy. He has =
an
impeccable top reputation in the PTG. He is the main technician at the =
most
reputable dealership in the local area. He is smart. He is =
conscientious.
Clearly, this guy is an excellent technician.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I know that there is no way that he had control =
of a
situation where he would have installed let-off buttons without =
doing the
rest of the action (maybe owner only let him do the buttons - who =
knows?).
No way in heck did he install a string with a sloppy coil. No chance in =
Hades
that he installed a string with a reversed coil.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Somehow, somewhere, this lady HAD to have gotten =
her story
screwed up. No way did Mr. So-And-So do the nasty work that I saw. But =
if I
didn't know this guy, I suppose I would have come away from that =
appointment
with the opinion that Mr. So-And-So was a real sloppy, ignorant, rip-off =
artist,
shmuck of a piano tooner.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>A first-hand report like this should be =
accurate, but I
think also, this is how nasty, inaccurate, career-damaging rumors =
can
start.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>