tuning cost

[Jon Page]

At 01:38 PM 1/5/2003 -0800, you wrote:
>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.

When tuning aurally, I had been averaging 30 to 40 minutes per tuning; 
hech, I'd surprise myself sometimes and bang one out in 20 minutes;
but the decibel strain was taking its toll. Tuning with the VT makes it 
easier and takes a little longer, mostly waiting for it to catch up plus
with the accuracy it evokes. I choose not to work at a feverish pace and am 
quite satisfied with a 45-50 minute tuning i this setting.

>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?

I am also playing catchup. These pianos have only been tuned twice/year 
under the old admin; Sept. and Christmas break.
With the new admin. in place and a discretionary budget, I can tune more 
often. I just have to make allotment for it in my schedule.
I did the Sept. tunings and was not able to get back until my allotted time 
during the Christmas break.  But now I can schedule
more tunings now that I'm not under a deadline on my outside rebuilding 
contracts. Instead of tuning for the conservatory around
my rebuilds, I'll do the rebuilds around my time at the conservatory.

I have an O and an L in the shop now from them for repairs. When they go 
out, the C comes in. Somewhere in there I'll fit
a new action into their D.

Just when I thought I was about to get around to the 'pianos-in-waiting' on 
their sides in my shop, they all of a sudden up and
want all kinds of work done.  I always prefer contract work to spec work, 
any day.  Those spec jobs can be filtered-in alongside.


One project we're doing there is a temperament awareness session. This 
tuning round, I tuned the pianos in different temps.
Between the two facilities, each has 3 in ET,  2 in Moore,
2 in Wendell Mild Synchronous Well. (including a D for recital - wow, clarity),
2 in Broadwood Best, 1 in Werkmeister (I like), 1 in Young.
The differences are not as appalling as one might assume.

I'll make up an information handout for each teacher, thanks to Ed Foote's 
help and a follow-up questionnaire. Jason Kanter's
charts, posted in the hallway, are a nice visual aide as well. I'll be 
making the rounds again next month for tuning to keep the
temps in perspective since many of the pianos were 10+c flat. (Most were 
tuned +20c in Sept.). It's nice being in control now.

Maybe the tuning time will be improved with not having to incorporate a 
minor pitch distance change, we'll see.

Jon Page