[CAUT] Barbie tuner

[Michael Magness]

On Fri, Jul 25, 2008 at 4:33 PM, Jim Busby <jim_busby at byu.edu> wrote:

>  List,
>
>
>
> I won't name the fellow, but at the International Double Reed Society
> conference here at BYU there is this "oboist" who is running around with
> this tiny guitar tuner complaining that all the instruments are off. He
> confronted me before one of his performances saying that the pitch of the
> Shigeru was not A440 but was A442. He said the Hamburg D was also A442 (Was
> supposed to be at A443). I told him I was confident the pitch was where it
> was supposed to be on both instruments and that maybe his small tuner was
> off. BAD thing to say! Boy was he mad! After his performance, when most the
> people were gone, the head honcho watched me measure the pianos. Less than
> 4/10ths of one cent off… (Dang! Will I ever learn to keep my pitch dead on?)
>
>
>
> Funny, but almost all his high notes were extremely flat. Or maybe I'm just
> dreaming…
>
>
>
> Jim Busby
>
>
>
> p.s. Other than this unfortunate experience everyone else is very nice and
> complimentary.
>

Hi Jim,

I have been there and felt the same way. Years ago in a fit of pique I got a
little of my own back. I was called to tune for a high school musical to be
held in the non air conditioned gym, in July! I arrived on the appointed day
and hour in the middle of a raging thunderstorm, the temp was in the high
80's and of course the humidity was 100%. I had to lower pitch on the Yamaha
P-22 and spent almost 3 hours going through it multiple times until I was
satisfied with it. 3 days later I got a call, they were unhappy with the
tuning. the caller was the person who had arranged the tuning however she
was not involved in the musical and thus could not give me specifics of why
they were unhappy. I re-arranged my schedule and went that afternoon, it was
73 degrees and the humidity was in the 30"s. I checked the piano and was
happy to find it where I had left it, a few unisons were slightly"fuzzy" but
overall it was as I had left it. I found a guitar tuner lying on the top
when I arrived and surmised that my tuning had been"checked" with it. I
decided if they wanted the piano tuned to a guitar tuner, I wouldn't deny
them.
So I used the guitar tuner to reset my temperment and re-tuned the piano, I,
left a second billing for the second tuning and left, I received to further
complaints but also no payment.
Finally in September after repeated billings, I was called by the school's
superintendant and asked to stop by about the bills. I went to his office
and heasked why I had billed for 2 tunings 3 days apart, I explained to him
what had happened and he OK'd payment. I have never been called to tune for
that district again.
It was well worth it and I would do it again!
<grin>

Mike

-- 
I feel sorry for the person who can't get genuinely excited about his work.
Not only will he never be satisfied, but he will never achieve anything
worthwhile.
Walter Chrysler



Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
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