<html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; = charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> List          =    My customer, a European immigrant- professional man,very nice fellow, has = an old upright—3/4  plate---Awful shape W/ kids trying to learn on = this thing. I’ve serviced it a few times, holding it together as best I = could hoping to convince him to replace it soon.          =    So here’s the story. The husband buys a learn to tune kit w/ the = basic tools included—Gooseneck lever etc.          =    I get a call-----Please could I come over right away, something is wrong = with the piano!          =    Tells me he tuned the piano “successfully” then the next day it = was flat again. So he pulls it up again. You guessed it, flat again. I think this = went on for a while.          =    He took the action out and had to pry upward with on the bolts to get the = action back in.          =    Then the lid won’t close. And what alerted you that something was = wrong?          =    He removed the veneer from the top of the pin block and that’s when I = got the call          =    The block(open faced) ,along with some cast iron components framing it had separated from the posts and pitched forward and angled down toward the = keys.          =    The block has moved at least two inches. ---- I think you get the picture = here. Catastrophic failure!          =    Now to my save the Husband part. His wife is furious and insists this was = all his fault with the tuning experiments.I don’t think we are talking = divorce here but this Bad Boy is  in trouble!. I’m convinced based = on examination that glue joint failure, combined with our extremely dry = winter set this up, and his pitch raising just made it keep moving after the = failure. He asked if I could please tell his wife that is not his fault. No, he = pleaded actually.          =    In his presence at the piano, I called his answering machine from my cell = and exonerated him.(She was at work)          =    I of course condemned the instrument, taking a bad piano out of its misery = AND bailed this guy out of Husband Hell.I thought he was going to = cry!          =    And they say this job isn’t rewarding!          =    Tom Driscoll RPT          =             =             =      </div> </body> </html>