tuning cost

[David Ilvedson]

Jon,

I'd try to get your tuning times down to a 1/2 hour for institution work (VT should 
make that possible and knowing when to stop..;-] ) and charge them for any thing 
beyond the tuning, including pitch raise, i.e 2 passes.  You need to be doing the 
work on a regular schedule, i.e. quarterly.  Don't let them be calling you as needed 
at those prices.  I take you are going in and doing all the pianos over several days?  

David I.


Concert work, if any, needs to be more $ for more time. 
On 5 Jan 2003 at 10:48, Jon Page wrote:

> I was wondering, on the institutional level; what is the average
> cost/piano tuning.
> 
> Being an independent contractor working for a school with 22 pianos, I
> charge $40/piano tuning with technical work billed at $40/hr. This
> tuning price is for bulk maintenance, concert or singular tunings
> are/may be bill at a higher rate, especially on Sunday.
> 
> Of the other tuners in the area and the few newbies, I asked for
> assistance with the tuning but they wouldn't think of tuning for less
> than $60, and this was a few years ago when I was 35 / piano. One
> newbie even refused floor tunings for a dealer for the $35 price, go
> figure.
> 
> I bumped it up to 40 this year.(at 35, that was still an hourly rate
> of 40; so now it's per piano or per hour. Now when I tune 5 in four
> hours; they actually get a break.
> 
> Even though it's less money than last year for say 5 pianos (35 x 5 =
> 175 as opposed to 40/hr x 4 = 160)  the use of the VT has made it that
> much easier.
> 
> Another aspect which I had been trying to get through the old 
> administration was
> a maintenance budget. But their policy was to fix only what is broken
> to keep it working. The new director this year is different. On my
> first meeting with him I proposed a budget and he immediately granted
> a $6k/yr discretionary budget dispersed at $500/mo. Now I can do
> things as I see fit to keep things above minimal :-)  Rebuilding is
> billed separately.
> 
> It's a pretty good gig.
> 
> Jon Page
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives