<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> Doug, I learned a long time ago, through experience,  that you never want to do anything to a piano that does not have your customers approval first.  You went the extra mile but believe this or not I have clients who like the tone you were hearing from that spinet.  They would not like it if I were to voice the piano to what I would consider a tolerable tone.  Remember that voicing is a very personal thing on a piano.  What you and I will like may not be what our client wants so we must first seek their opinon about the tone of the piano. --Marvin McDonald, Associate Doug Garman wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE><style></style> Yesterday, I tuned a 1958 blonde Kimball spinet.  I had told the lady my tuning fee over the phone.  When I arrived and found the piano to be a half step low I explained the need for a pitch raise and my fee for such.  She called her husband and got approval to do the work. I'm not the fastest tuner in the world.  After spending much more time than I usually need to I was exhausted but very pleased with the results (especially considering the piano I had to work with).  At that point I would have written the invoice, collected my fee, and left. However, the tone was still that thin, shallow, metallic, pinging, tinging (my word) sound we're all familiar with in pianos of this sort.  I decided to spend some time voicing.  The lady had left the house for a while, so I did not "get her approval".  After voicig the tone was much more tollerable though still far from ideal. When she got back I presented her with the bill which included an additional 0.4 hour of time for the voicing.  I could tell she was concerned.  I explained what that "voicing" was.  She played the piano and liked it (I didn't), but later that evening her husband called complaining about the extra charge for something he did not understand or approve.  I offered to refund the extra fee, telling him I'd rather he be happy.  He said he'd "leave it up to his wife" and that she would call today. Was I a bad boy to charge her for doing a little voicing without getting her approval?  I admit I was frustrated that I was not going to get paid for all the time I had already spent, but its not like I charged her for something I did not do.  I think they got a bargin, though it is obvious they do not understand that. Doug Garman,  AssociateGranbury, TX </blockquote> </body> </html>