<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> There are these hardy pioneer types who want to do themselves everything they possibly can.  I used to be one of them, out of financial necessity.  Nowadays, if I think my D-I-Y jobs will be substandard, I am more prone to tune some extra pianos and use that money to pay someone to come in and do the work for me. On Dec. 21 I did something that is a little out of the ordinary for me.  I actually invited help from the client!  But the job was replacing elbows with the Vagias snap-on type, so you know a good bit of the work can be done by a non-technician.  My beginning helper was a pleasant strapping 19-year-old guy who was home for the holidays.  The mom and a younger boy helped for a while, too.  I think we all enjoyed the process, and they probably saved about fifty bucks. Happy New Year, everyone! Regards, Clyde Hollinger, RPT Lititz, PA, USA Bigeartb@AOL.COM wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>/Dear List: I' m  sure all of you have already had this experience but for me ....this is a first. I tuned my first piano for a lady whose husband had worked six hours with a socket and ratchet attempting to tune her piano because I charged too much money. She told me after six hours of flustration he said to her, "call that tuner. It'll be the best money I ever spent".  I pulled strings up.... I pulled strings down.....I then tuned it twice....It sounded really....really good. It cost him more money...She's happy...He's happy...and so am I. I love my job ....cause I' m good....Now he knows how good I really am. Tommy Black Birmingham, Ala</blockquote> </html>