<!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 5.50.4134.100" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ooooh, this could be a juicy topic!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Everyone!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Who is to decide what the "optimal" = tone is for a given piano?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It's a common occurrence -- the = customer doesn't want the voicing touched or tampered with in any way and we're driven = crazy by the possibilities in the name of optimal tone.  So ... how does one = go about enlightening the customer on this matter without intimidating them, leaving them with the impression that there is something fundamentally wrong with their piano or that the work we did (such as = replacing the hammers) was somehow substandard?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Z! Reinhardt  RPT<BR>Ann = Arbor  MI<BR><A href="mailto:diskladame@provide.net">diskladame@provide.net</A></FONT><= /DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial = size=2></FONT> </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=Erwinspiano@AOL.COM href="mailto:Erwinspiano@AOL.COM">Erwinspiano@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> Saturday, August 10, 2002 = 10:36 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Baldwin = hammers</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" = TYPE="CITE">         &nbsp= ;  Hi  Ray </BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000000 size=3 = FAMILY="SERIF">         &n= bsp; I say this with all due respect. While I'm aware this happens and I = guess the customers is always right since as it is there piano, but that doesnt' = mean the piano was producing  its optimal tone. It may mean that the = raw hammer was producing a better sound than what wa  heard before = and had they trusted your judgement a bit firther they would have had = something perhaps even more thrilling. I wonder if the treble is by now = producing the sounds of shattering glass or perhaps if you got a softer set of = renners as I did years ago. These are quality hammers but the ones I've seen in = recent years always needed  voicing especially in the money notes(5 and = 6 octaves)<BR>    Do you know if the client is still ecstatic?<BR>          Best-----Dale</FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" = face=Arial color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR></FONT><FONT = lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE"><BR>I replaced the hammers on a similar Baldwin a couple = of years ago with Renner.  The client was ecstatic with the = results, and wanted no further voicing at all!</FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>Ray T. Bentley, RPT<BR>Registered Piano Tuner-Technician<BR>Alton, IL<BR><A href="mailto:ray@bentley.net">ray@bentley.net</A><BR><A href="http://www.ray.bentley.net">www.ray.bentley.net</FONT><FONT = lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 = size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></A><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SERIF"></BLOCKQUOTE><I><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></I></FONT></FONT><= /BODY></HTML>