bass strings breaking!

[Tom Cole]

jptuner (may I call you j?)

First of all, it is really remarkable that you have this power of breaking bass strings by
remote control, five months after tuning it. I mean, does she think you left a time bomb
in her piano?

The customer says that the bass strings are breaking when they are _not_ playing the
piano. You might want to do some sleuthing before you make any recommendations.
Are the strings breaking at the V-bar? Then, yes, someone may have been banging on it
very hard (when Mom isn't around) and rescaling the bass strings for lower tension
would be a way to prevent further breakage. Was it the same three strings that have
broken again? Were they custom-made replacements or universal replacements?

If you think that you have lost credibility with this woman, you might want to bring in an
"expert" or, if you'd just as soon lose the customer, refer her to someone else. I'd suggest
doing the latter, given that she would make such a far-fetched accusation, except that I'd
be too curious as to why those strings are breaking. But be careful. She sounds like she
bites!

Tom Cole

JPTUNER@aol.com wrote:
>
> hello all,
>              well i have been reading now for a week and find it very
> interesting on all the solutions to problems we encounter being piano
> technicians.Im writing for a problem im having with a baldwin acrosonic, i
> tuned this piano about 8 months ago and the customer called me back about 3
> months ago saying on how i broke 3 of her bass strings,so i went to the house
> took out the old ones and replaced them,now she says they broke again,of
> course i charged her. so now im telling her to change all the bass strings to
> a more heavy duty type of bass string! can anyone tell me if they had this
> experience like this were bass strings just brake,she says it happens when
> when they are not playing the piano,i did ask if her teacher plays hard on
> the piano,but she says her children go for lessons and the teacher does not
> come to the home. it just seems odd how these strings just pop and im being
> blamed.if anyone has any info it would be greatly appreciated!
>                              sincerly jptuner
> .-

--
Thomas A. Cole, RPT
Santa Cruz, California