<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; = charset=us-ascii"> <TITLE>Message</TITLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2769" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff = size=2>Forgive me for adding to the rant, but it might be interesting = to find out just how many (legit) tuners, here in LA, have more than "1 or 2 = percent" of their customers who want, and are willing to pay for, more than a "tune-&-run" visit from a piano tech. I am a relative newbie to this = profession and so far even the customers I service with decent piano's = aren't willing to have them serviced more than once every couple of years. And = anything beyond a basic tuning is just more money than they want to spend. I = seriously look forward to the day when I have finally earned and developed a = client base that actually wants this kind of service and is willing to pay for it. = Not just for the money, but because I seriously want to learn and cultivate those = skills. If 98% of what I have to look forward to from day to day are tune = & run bookings, because that's what the client wants, then I'm gonna be mighty = bored.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff = size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff = size=2>-- Geoff Sykes</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff = size=2>-- Assoc. Los Angeles</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff = size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=515333319-13112005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff = size=2>...with lots still to learn to escape the = average.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV></DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr = align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On = Behalf Of </B>David Andersen<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, November 13, 2005 9:39 AM<BR><B>To:</B> Pianotech<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: JIV-jumping into voicing<BR><BR></FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> That said the goal is for an = improved tone even if , in your own ears, it's not perfect. People/clients who = really have ears to hear will except any improvement as a pleasure in the right direction. Truth be told there are sooo many lousy sounding pianos = in the field because no one is asking the questions you are or at least not = bothering to stab a few needles etc to risk for something possibly great!<BR> How I wish the bad habit of tune & run to the = next tuning could be remedied.<BR> It's not real customer service IMHO.<BR>  I think I just changed the topic. Oh My!<BR>  Dale = Erwin<BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"><BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: = 12px"><BR>Great words.  In 25 years of working on pianos in LA, with the last 10 = or so years mostly dedicated to good and expensive grand pianos, the number = of pianos that had been maintained in any realm beyond tuning before I = came on them was, and is, miniscule....1 or 2 percent, literally.  What a = joke.<BR>And a tragedy, really, for our profession.  All this = talk, endless talk, about pianos, and service, and how to do this and that = with pianos, and then the harsh reality:  almost nobody’s = actually doing it in good grand pianos in LA. Why?  Because “tune & = run”  is the easy money. A no-brainer.  The average guy here charges $100-120. =  Do six tune-and-runs a day, and you’re living large.  Do it five = days a week, and it’s <B>3 grand</B> a week, and baby’s got a new pair = o’ shoes. <BR><BR>On the other hand, just shoot me now if that’s what I have to look = forward to: average clients, piano after piano in bad mechanical and tonal shape, = and propagating the paradigm of “I don’t give a rat’s = ass, so why should my clients?  Why should I educate them about tone and touch when = it’ll just slow me down, make me work and acquire new skills, work new muscles, = and (the final nail in the coffin:)<BR>‘anyway, none of my clients care = or can hear or feel the difference.’”<BR><BR>What a crock of s**t. =  Everybody can hear and feel the difference, including, first and foremost, = YOU.<BR><BR>Don’t be a sellout.  Learn how t work on pianos past the tuning, and quit = telling your self destuctive things, like nobody can hear or feel the difference....quit being so dang negative.<BR><BR>End of rant. =  Thank you.<BR><BR>David Andersen</SPAN></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>