<!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 6.00.2900.2802" 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> <DIV>Brett,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The important thing here is not to put the onus on yourself.  If you're going to end up late to an appointment because of the previous one, a= nd as a result, at the end of the day be an hour late to dinner with your significant other, somebody needs to pay you for your effort.  And don'= t forget to use your phone to notify people you're running behind...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The way I work it is I give an hour and a half appointment for a specif= ied price.  I then charge an hourly rate, based on 15 minute increments if = my overtime is less than an hour.  One great thing about being self-employ= ed is that you can call the shots.  If it's a client that you like, or is financially challenged, you can give a little extra.  If it's a client who's all business, you can go by the book.  If you don't like to barga= in, you may want to have a fee schedule printed up as a handout.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If the piano is close to pitch, my appointment time will allow for smal= l fixes, pedal squeaks, etc..  The customers who take good care of their pianos are rewarded, because the tuning usually takes around an hour.  Those who don't have their pianos tuned regularly will have to pay extra for= a pitch raise, even if it falls within the hour and a half  appointm= ent time-frame-- partly as a punitive measure for piano neglect, mostly bec= ause of the wear and tear on my body and ears.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Noises, buzzing notes, and false beats can be real time-eaters.  I= f you are going to fix them at a regular appointment, be ready to run behind, = and be sure to point out what you are doing so the piano owner will be prepared = to pay for your time.  People don't like big surprises on their bill.</DIV= > <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Yes, the better pianos take me longer to tune.  Because they CAN b= e tuned.  You can hear the specific things you are listening for in good quality 7 footer.  In  a spinet, one hears all kinds of wobbles an= d warbles that bear little relation to what you're listening for.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If a piano is not badly out of tune, I will often take a substantial am= ount of time for the simple reason that I want to hear significant improvement be= fore I leave.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Hearing improvement?  I don't think so.  My hearing was bette= r at 23 than it is at 53.  The difference is, I am better trained now that I= was then.  My LISTENING skills have improved since then, and they continue = to improve.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Hope this helps,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Dave Stahl</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>  In a message dated 12/16/2005 11:26:06 P.M. Pacific Standard Tim= e, bgpianoman@email.com 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> <P>Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas to All ,</P> <P>And to Ken I'm not missing the SNOW !</P> <P>Just wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them . I seem to h= ave slowed down . More so on the quality instruments . Like today I was tuning a customers Steinway L (1972)  for the second time . I do= n't remember it taking as long last year .  This time the 5th & 6th octives had so many false beats . I stoped to seat the strings & bridg= e pins . Then I got annoyed by a clicking noise on G-6 that turned out to be= a loose hammer flange bushing .</P> <P>Then as I got to the lower bass another noise the keybed was knocking .= Maybe the Dampp-Chaser system I installed last year made these things show= up. All I know is I ended up running about an hour behind .</P> <P>Then this afternoon I ran into a KG-1 I tune every 3 months . New DC sy= stem last fall ???? wild strings 5th 6th & 7th . I ended up seating all the= bridge pins & strings it was easier to dress all the strings & the= n tune . Then a buzzing sound from the case. Had to tighten every screw tell I finally happened to kick a small fan with a me= tal cage setting under the piano . Fixed it ! This piano is used for Jazz gigs= , Now everyone will wounder why the pianist is sweating . I tossed the fan .Another hour behind ! I seem to be spending more time on the grands = I tune then before . The spinets well I do my best . Even a nice U-3 or 1 wi= ll slow me down with one thing or another .</P> <P>Am I just hearing better ? Has my experience gotten to the point w= here I find more things that I would have missed before (most likely). I know t= hat most of the pianist don't hear these things . I'm also afraid that the one= s that do feel that they got a poor tuning . Before I got into tuning as a player I didn't hear 90 percent of what I do now . And I'm sure that most people grow accustomed to what they are play day in & out. They must because when I'm done with every piano I play it . Most of the spinets I h= ate . They think it sounds great . Even the little spinet I played for years a= s a kid hurts to play now . Back then it was great ! </P> <P>At what point do you decide to charge for these little extras . Or= should you cover your tunings by fixing the little things . For now thats where I'm at . It sure can make you run behind though .</P> <P>Thanks for the input on reselling services . I'm sure now that I'm not charging enough .</P> <P>Brett Glass</P> <P>A Sharp Piano Service Maui</P> <P>PS: I won't tell you how I fixed the loose bushing other than to s= ay I had none with me . And most likely that flange will need to be replaced ne= xt time it needs to be rebushed . It was loose to the wood in the flange . I = know the quick fix police are going to pull me over for speeding to the next jo= b . Guess </P></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"= >Dave Stahl<BR><BR>Dave Stahl Piano Service<BR>650-224-3560<U><BR><A href="http://www.dstahlpiano.net/">http://dstahlpiano.net/</A></U></FONT><= /DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>