Marks inside pianos

[James Grebe]

----------
> From: Jon Page <jpage@capecod.net>
> To: pianotech@byu.edu
> Subject: Re: Marks inside pianos
> Date: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 4:48 PM
>
> Once you've written on all the keys, backchecks and hammer
> mouldings, I suppose you will have to start on a sheet of paper.
> So why not start there.
>
> For a new tuner coming to the piano, it is unimnportant when the
> last tuning was, aside from diagnosing tuning stability.

Dear John,
How can you say it is unimportant to a new tuner aside from giving the new
tuner an idea of how a previous tuning held up.  I t will certainly give
the tuner a great idea of what to expect from the piano.  This does not
have to do with ego but history of maintenance for this piano.  This idea
of tuning stability is the main point.
> What matters is the amount of work needed to get the piano in tune.

True this matters a great deal.
>
> Let's suppose you have half the keyboard scribbled on. The people
> move and decide to have a party 10 years down the line.  Someone
> attending will want to play the piano, so they call a tuner. Now this guy
> is going to do whatever he needs to, to get the piano at pitch - in tune.
> It is completely irrelevant if the piano was tuned every six months for
> ten years way back when they lived in wherever.

The other reason this tuning record is important is to give future
purchasers of this piano as to how well the owner took care of it for them.
 I have at least 1 piano I tune go through 3 different owners..
I guess I will agree to disagree with you on this one and I respect your
opinion as I hope you do mine

Regards,
James Grebe from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
>
> Now when he sees this vandalism inside, he'll comment as I do. . .  .
> Wrong!
> I understand we all want to make our mark in the business, but I
> think it is only ego which needs to leave this calling card.
> A craftsman will sign his work with a discreet initial or signature,
> not mar someone's property with trivia.
>
> Remember, this is not your property; treat it with respect.
>
> Jon Page
> Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> At 03:53 PM 3/25/97 -0600, you wrote:
> >> From: Jon Page <jpage@capecod.net>
> >> To: pianotech@byu.edu
> >> Subject: Re: Marks inside pianos
> >> Date: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 7:23 AM
> >> Dear Jon,
> >.  I f another tuner takes> >over he has an independent record ,(not
from the owner) of when the different owners had the piano tuned.  If the
new owner looks in and sees my name using me will give me a line of
continuety tuning this piano since the new owners might have called another
tuner.  They thought since I am already familiar with this piano and
thought enough about it to record its' tuning history, that I should
continue to be the tuner for this piano.
  I t> >certainly is NOT graffiti.  I t is very important and these records
are
> >very important and not irrelevant and history is still important.
History
> >determines the future and can be a guide as to what to expect from the
> >piano owner. As far as putting something in the bench, my feelings are
that
> >I do not look in peoples benches, just as I do not open their drawers.
The
> >most obvious place for pertinent information is under the lid on the
> >pinblock.
> >Regards,
> >James Grebe from St. Louis
> >pianoman@inlink.com
> >> These day to day servicings are irrelevent in the overall scheme of
> >things.
> >> Tuning archival history is useless. Regular maintenance is important.
> >> Scribing dates on the keys is no reminder, how many owners take the
> >> piano apart to see when the last tuning was.  A card in the bench is
> >adequite.
> >> It is not so important as to when it was tuned, but will it stay in
tune.
> >>
> >> Writing mundane servicing only trashes the action. A descrete notation
> >> on a hammer moulding can reference a replacement date.
> >>
> >> Record keeping should be kept on a seperate piece of paper and left
> >> under the lid of an upright or in your files.
> >>
> >> To close, you have no right to place graffitti in someone's piano.
> >> Jon Page
> >> Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >> note: please place replies at the top of the post, scrolling wastes
time.
> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >> At 07:40 PM 3/24/97 -0600, you wrote:
> >> >Hi all,
> >> >
> >> >I used to be very careful not to make any permenant marks inside a
> >> >piano--until I found that the first thing most dealers in my area do
is
> >> >remove service record stickers.
> >> >
> >> >I feel that the tuning and repair history which is sometimes several
> >> >lifetimes is valueable to me as a tuner and of interest to future
> >owners. So
> >> >I now careful use a pen on the keys to record the history.
> >> >
> >> >>They peer into the piano, examine the scrawled notation, and say
"Wow!
> >> >>Look at that!  Isn't that interesting!"  They see it as a bit of
> >history
> >> >>that adds color to the instrument.
> >> >>
> >> >>Oh well.  It's not my piano.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>BTW,  I think your oil change analogy is perfect, provided that the
> >> >>inscription is under the hood.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>Myler, Tom
> >>
> >> Jon Page
> >> Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>
> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>
> >
> >
>