<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2627" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: = Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=rol= e_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV>I realize that this is a slight diversion of topic, but I wanted to sha= re this anyway.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I tend to err on the side of caution, and return to the scene of the "crime" at a time that's convenient for both myself and the customer.  = Most often, it's pretty soon after the original service call.  I've had peop= le say that the bass in their Acrosonic doesn't sound in tune....I usually expl= ain that there isn't alot to be done about that one...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I had two call-backs in the last week and a half.  Both lived clos= e by and I was able to drop by at the end of my day to check on the pianos. = Both were complaining of funny buzzes, neither of which were there before I tuned the pianos.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The first job had included a string replacement.  I began to get defensive, because the piano was overly bright to begin with.  Then I listened more closely to the notes that the customer was complaining about.  Sure enough, heard a nasty buzz emanating from the bo= ttom of the piano.  Turns out, there was a small piece of the replaced strin= g's coil resting hidden from view next to the pedals.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The second one was a new Kawai grand that, when I got the call, I thoug= ht it was just a unison that had drifted, by the way it was described to me.&nb= sp; But it indeed had a funny twang on B4.  I isolated the strings one= at a time, and found that the middle one was buzzing.  I seated the string= s, then pushed down on the front-side of the agraffe.  Cleaning up the termination got rid of the sound.  The sound was not there when I'd tun= ed the piano, but the weather has cooled considerably and gotten more humid in = the last week.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Both customers were quite happy and I'm certain they will remain custom= ers for a long time.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As long as there is a possibility of some funky noise or other problem being my fault, I will make a return trip.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>IF it's a matter of a tuning being "off", I usually try to go back and = see if there is a problem, and explain the susceptibility of a piano to environmental change(which I had probably done to deaf ears at the original appointment).  Sometimes, as Kent is saying, it's just a matter of opinion.  We ARE the experts, no matter how good people might think the= ir ears are.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Give 'em a fork and a hammer and see what they can come up with!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Dave Stahl</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>.   a message dated 9/10/2005 9:56:22 PM Pacific Standard Tim= e, davidlovepianos@comcast.net writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><= FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size= =2>She likes it tuned high because she's deaf at those frequencies.  You have<BR>to decide whether you will do custom tunings for people who are un= able to<BR>hear.  I had a customer like that.  He kept calling me bac= k telling me the<BR>treble was sharp.  Finally, I said ok, I'll play an= octave and start pulling<BR>the upper note and you tell me when to stop.&n= bsp; Got to about a minor tenth<BR>before he said sounds good now, clean octave.  So I did that with the rest<BR>of the notes in the last octave.  Fortunately I didn't break anything.  I<BR>charged him = an extra $30 for the "custom tuning", asked him not to tell<BR>anyone who tun= ed his piano and suggested he get his hearing checked.  Not<BR>surprisin= gly, I didn't hear from him after that.  I wasn't real<BR>disappointed.<BR><BR>I think people do have a right to what they w= ant, historical temperaments,<BR>stretched treble or bass, whatever as long as = it's within reason and<BR>achievable without pure guesswork.  My only requirement is that they tell me<BR>in advance and if their specific reque= sts take me longer, I charge them<BR>more.  Also, if they sit and listen = and make comments while I am tuning, I<BR>charge them double.  <BR><BR>I = see no problem with what Kent wrote.  <BR><BR>David Love<BR>davidlovepianos@comcast.net <BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf<BR>Of Ric Brekne<BR>Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2005 5:49 PM<BR>To: pianotech<BR>Subject: Presiden= t's Message<BR><BR>Kent Swafford writes:<BR><BR>I won't alter a tuning to its detriment  <BR>to please a customer; customers should be willing to p= lay my tuning  <BR>and give it a chance. Maybe they will like it after a = full tryout.  <BR>The point is if I immediately return to a piano as the result of a  <BR>callback, when I get there we may still disagree abo= ut whether the  <BR>tuning is good. An optimist would say I might turn t= he situation  <BR>around by showing good faith and willingness to serve = by returning. A  <BR>cynic might say, the customer will end up trying somebody different  <BR>anyway, so an immediate return is pointless.<BR><BR>-------------------<BR><BR>I gotta admit... this snip is= even more disturbing then the first post. <BR><BR>First let me say that a customer has a perfect write to their <BR>preferences. If one is dealing w= ith someone who has some real sense of <BR>what they want... tuning wise or soundboard wise or whatever wise... <BR>then its our job to attempt to pro= vide that for them.  If we as a tech <BR>do not wish to provide that servi= ce for any particular instance then <BR>fine... fair enough... leave it and go.  An instance of this is <BR>historical temperaments... but it jus= t a well applies to a stretch <BR>preference, or even something as specific as= a single note.  Our only <BR>task in such instance is to deem whether o= r not the customer is serious <BR>minded or not.<BR><BR>I have an older lady= that for whatever reasons likes the highest section <BR>of the treble tune= d very high.  Its quite strange really, starts at E7.  <BR>All of = a sudden her <<tuning curve>> steepens radically.. way off the <BR>chart.  But thats what she likes.... thats what gives her satisfaction.  <BR>(ETD's are great for finding out this kind of thing).  Clear cut... <BR><<detrimental>> (according to m= y tastes) or not... who the heck am I to <BR>impose upon this lady my defini= tion of what sounds right ?<BR><BR>no no no no no....  People have a right= to like what they like, be it <BR>historical temperments, low basses, high trebles, old flatened and <BR>thined out soundboards, this make or that.&n= bsp; We have no rights whatsoever <BR>in defining to the world about us what ot= hers should or should not <BR>appreciate.  If a customer is sincere in the= re desires.. then we should <BR>be sincere in our willingness to help provide= those.<BR><BR>JMT<BR>RicB</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>