<!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 6.00.2722.900" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Hi list,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Yesterday I went on a cruiseship (MS Europa) to tune 3 Steinways. 2 = B's and a M.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>When I got there they asked me to tune one piano first and then the = pianist would come down and check it before I tuned the other two. So OK, I = don't mind, they don't know me, could have a fussy pianist on board.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The first B.  Scale reasonable, tenor OK, treble all over the = place. Up to 30 cents flat on some notes and individual strings. Bass = reasonable.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Tuned the piano and to be honest I have tuned Young Changs that = sounded better. Not that Young Changs are a bad piano but these pianos are Steinways.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So an hour after I started the pianist (Russian) came down and = played the piano. Now I have seen heavy hands but the keys are not supposed to = bottom out on the floor. Says he loves it. Its OK to tune the other two. I asked = when the pianos were last tuned and the answer was "In Singapore, two days = ago"  I asked 'how old are these pianos' the reply "4 years old".  I was = thinking sound like strings have been broken and replaced, would explain the 20 - = 30 cents flat, but no. The piano still sounds yuck.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Tuned the other two that were in roughly the same condition then = went back to the first one in the main concert room to go over the treble again = but before I started I decided to check out the aliquot side of the strings. I was = sure that I could hear something funny wilts tuning. Plucked three strings on = the same note and got back three different notes.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Time for a quick fix. Got out my string stretcher and firmly pushed = every string (aliquot side) and then had a piano that was up to 40 cents flat = on some strings, all was uneven. Pulled it all up to pitch then tuned the treble = again. The piano now started to sound like a Steinway.  The pianist = returned as I was testing, sat down and played for 15 minutes and said could I do the = same for the other pianos. Hell, I haven't finished that one properly yet. What = do you do, the ship sails in two hours, on to the next piano tuner in ten days time.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What I can't understand is how a piano can get to 4 years old in a situation where it is played constantly and still not be stable in the = above area. What have I missed.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>No I did not do the other pianos or do more work on the main one, = reason, they only want the pianos tuned and that's all they will pay for. Doing = the extra was for my benefit. Still learning. But, I am annoyed that I can't = do my job as I want to.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Regards</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Tony Caught<BR>Darwin Australia<BR><A href="mailto:caute@bigpond.com">caute@bigpond.com</A></DIV></BODY></HTM= L>