Accu-Tuner and CyberTuner

[Arnold Duin]

>In Holland there is hardly any knowledge about those hip american tuning
>machines.
>I am sure on the other hand that right now, a couple of dutch colleagues
>read these lines and will later say to me" I told you so a long time ago"
>they knowing all about it....
>Anyway, the tuning machines you describe are not for sale here (as far as
>I know, oops)

Hi Andr=E9.
I am one of these Dutch colleagues reading your lines to say I told =
you so. The  reason  those machines aren't for sale over here is =
their price (typical Dutch?) and the fact tuners are just getting =
used to the idea they exist and it is ok to use them at some =
occasions.The general opinion is that working with a tuning device =
isn't considered  a proof of good craftsmanship, only tuners who =
can't tune auraly use them.
Back in 1981 I was an editor of the Dutch trade union periodical, and =
asked Willem van Beekum, who was using the  Conn stroboscop, to write =
a article about it. Later he also wrote articles about the small =
Yamaha PT 4 and the Yamaha PT 100. We received a lot of negative =
reactions from our readers: you couldn't beat the human ear. Another =
thing was they were afraid that customers now would be able to tune =
their own piano.
The last few years tuners begin to realize that it actually helps you =
to make a better and more consistant tuning. Of course we know, and =
use harmonic overtone series when we are tuning but we are not so =
into 2:1, 4:2, 6:3 octaves stuff so the PT 100 is sufficient.
I remember  an article on octave stretching and visual tuning =
techniques by Jim McGehee, who lives in Copenhagen/Danmark in which =
he mentioned these octave ratios. He wrote it as a prelude to his =
demonstration of the Sanderson accutuner at the Europiano Congress in =
Denmark (May 1989).

To get back to prices.
Last year Mr. Dean Reyburn was so kind to send me some demosoftware =
(tuning manager, chameleon etc) which  can be used with the the =
Sanderson Accu-Tuner, and a pricelist. I wanted to use it in addition =
to the aural tests for taking more objective tuning exams at the =
Dutch pianotechnician school (didn't get the approval to buy the =
stuff yet because of other prioritys. But with the new Cybertuner =
software it's even more interesting and I hope Dean will offer a demo =
soon)

In 1995 the accutuner with 60 piano memory & FAC was priced at $1450 =
in America.The Yamaha PT 100 will only set you back $700. At this =
price you get a carrying case and a tuning hammer thumbswitch. The =
German CTS 5 will cost you $ 530 to $1100 and is also available in =
America. In the Netherlands the PT 100 is the most popular but some =
colleagues use the German one.

So at those prices it will be difficult and time consuming to promote =
the Accutuner and Cybertuner (you need a powerbook to use it). Iff =
you want to sell those products as a distibutor you want some markup =
to cover the costs so the prices will be even higher. But still I =
think it is worth a try.
Next year the SVGB pianotechniek  is planning to organize a =
workshop/lecture about visual tuning and the different devices you =
can use. Maybe that is the perfect platform to promote the 'new' =
systems and get to know more about visul tuning techniques and their =
possibilitys

met vriendelijke groet/  greetings Arnold Duin