Accuholics- Thanks guys!

[TunerJeff@aol.com]

Dear Jim Sr., JohnE, JimB, Tunerboy, SteveS, & Wim,
Re; New toy for TunerJeff (SAT-II with goodies)

     Yup. They are interesting critters. Concur that the 'box' has been
showing promise at improving this aural tuner's tunings. Those unison tunings
are MOST interesting.

1. <<"Look forward to articles re SAT" Jim Sr.>>

     Hah! Mebbe in a year or three, bubba. Gonna take some time to understand
what I'm doing... or it's doing... or mebbe what WE are doing as we tune
pianos together. My Article #1 on "SATs for Dummies" will NOT be posted this
evening!

2. <<"However, I discovered that it made me a much better tuner after getting
used to it.What happened was that it freed my ears up to listen to more than
I did when
tuning just aurally. By that I mean that I could fine tune my hearing,
letting the SAT do the initial *work*, thereby fine tuning the piano itself."
John Elving>>

     Yup. This was the hope & justification behind the purchase... coupled
with the need for SAT for scoring exams. It's proving to be a Very Useful
Tool.

3. <<"It bothers me though that it eats up so much time going back and
looking up
the articles on SAT that I merely perused before, and understanding what was
being said, but that is JC Sr's. fault." Jim Bryant>>

     Yah, darn that guy for writing so much, so accurately, and so
thoroughly. Disgusting display of erudition idn't it? Personally, I'm glad
for his input & knowledge. His latest series does hit the nail on the head
regarding the flexibility of SAT-tunings don't it? (When I see posts like
this, I am reminded of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"... the part where
they fall on their knees before a 'Guitar God' screaming; "We're not worthy!
We're not worthy!")

4. <<"When I was at WIT, many of the students had SAT's, but none of them
used
them to their full potential.  They used it to set A, or to help smooth a
temperament.  The stretch calculator, FAC and memory storage went unused.
This I found unfortunate.  It can really make your life easier.  (grumble,
grumble) There... I've said it....  I feel somehow.....
stronger....More...self-assured...."Eric Leatha>>

       Take a deep breath, Tunerboy! You can overcome these temptations!
Relax. Use the Force! No... really... it's ok now. We won't subject you to
any more stress (...at this time). Have you taken your medication???   ;>)

5. <<" On frequently serviced instruments, you can apply your custom stored
tuning, then spend a few minutes troubleshooting it, tweaking some notes a
few tenths of a cent here or there, and storing the changes for future use.
This can really result in Greatness In, Greatness Out." Steve Schell>>

     GIGO- Yup. Good observation, sir. Hope that I resemble that remark in
future. Thanks for your input. I do see the SAT as a means of improving my
tuning & understanding, rather than merely a 'short-cut' to hasten tuning
times. GIGO indeed.

6. <<"It used to be that after tuning 5 - 7 pianos in a day, I would come
home mentally exhausted. The stress of laying in the temperament, checking
and double checking octaves up and down the piano, took its toll on the
concentration level." WimBlees>>

     Yah, sure. I'm expecting the stress level to be somewhat reduced. But...
right now I'm still fumbling with my motions and wrestling with the
thumb-switch. My uncertainty with the tool will (...no doubt) be evaporated
by experience. My tuning level is more at the 3 to 4 pianos per day... as I
may travel 40 to 90 miles to reach my next appointment. I agree with you that
the SAT is a tool worthy of praise... and add that the advances of others in
the field (as seen in recent posts re; CyberTuner & Windows-based Tuning
Programs) will continue to expand our ability to understand, improve, &
increase our awareness of how  to tune acoustic pianos.

     Thank-you gentlemen (...oh... and you too Eric!) for your posts.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey T. Hickey, RPT
Oregon Coast Piano Services
TunerJeff @ aol.com
SAT-II #1872 (gasp!)