> From: JIMRPT@aol.com > Date: Sun, 2 Nov 1997 14:29:36 -0500 (EST) > To: pianotech@ptg.org > Subject: Re: Re: Plate Break after restringing-Preliminary report > Reply-to: pianotech@ptg.org Jim, A cracked plate is the only real serious problem I would be concerned about. Broken plate bolts and all the other stuff you mentioned can be repaired with out any devaluing of the piano in the customers mind. I will definitely add a simple disclaimer concerning the plate and the "unlikely possibility" of plate breakage during the restringing process...besides if I drop the plate and it cracks I'm off the hook... David ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA > -------DISCLAIMER---------- > List if I inadvertantly say something that you don't, won't, or can't agree > with it is only due to the inaccuracies of the medium, the way you perceive > words, or my total ignorance, and therefore is a condition beyond my control. > In no way will, or should, I be held responsible for things I say that do > not agree with standard accepted procedures either on an individual basis or > a trade wide basis. > -----end of disclaimer--------- > David, Bob, et al; > If your technician presented you with a quote for repair work that > contained a similarly worded disclaimer pertaining to rebuilding/repair, > ......would you allow them to touch your piano? I don't believe I would ! > We have a tendency to think of ourselves as the last 'correct' word on > things technical. I include myself in this so calm down :-) I submit that > quite often are we not only.... not.... the last 'correct' word we are not > really even sure what paragraph we are in. This fantastic trade of ours is > 90% perception and 10% good hard application of knowledge, or what passes for > knowledge. There are so many "acceptable answers" to most of the questions > we run into every day that there may perhaps be no 'correct' answer that will > fit even "most" situations. > To illustrate what I am speaking of let us consider the pinblock/plate > flange fit matter. There has been a comment on this list that if the plate > flange fit was not solid that person would consider the fitter/rebuilder > unqualified to work on pianos and would advise their customer against buying > that instrument based soley on that criteria............Well the last S&S 'A' > that I replaced the pinblock on had absolutely no contact between the plate > flange and pinblock, absolutely no contact whatsoever at any point or in any > way. This piano was made in the heyday of S&S "golden years" when Old World > Craftsmen were turning out instruments made in the best manner possible, when > materials were abudant and time was used only to determine when to eat meals. > This piano served 4 generations of the same family and after this last > rebuild will , and has now started, serving the fifth generation. Currently > held, popular, wisdom says that the tuning on this instrument was/should have > been unstable due to the lack of good solid contact pinblock/plate flange. > Such just was not the case, but let us not allow this fact to interfere with > what we 'know' to be the case for unstable tuning characteristics. > As further illustration we hold that a piano 'must' have downbearing to > properly transmit power to the sounboard conveniently forgetting that Sohmer, > Mehlin, along with a few others showed that downbearing was not necessarily > the only answer to this problem. > This all in a roundabout way of addressing putting disclaimers on our > quotes/estimates/invoices. There always have been risks of doing business > and in making repairs to anything, pianos included. If we include a > disclaimer for everything that might possibly happen to an instrument in our > care the discalimer lists would far surpass the length of our quotes. We are > responsible for due care and diligence in our work and in our possesion of > our customers' property. What we cannot, and should not expect ourselves to > be able to do, is forsee all the problems that may not be expected in the > course of our work. If we disclaim the possibilty of the plate being cracked > during restring, what about the 5 plate bolts that snapped off while trying > to remove them from the rim? If we disclaim the plate bolts breaking, what > about the bridge pins that split the bridge when we pull the new strings up > to pitch. If we disclaim the bridge pins, what about the hitch pins that > pull out, or break, as you put tension on the strings? (all these things > have happened to me so I am not making things up for the sake of my > position). > I suppose what I saying is we all "owe" our customers is complete honesty > and the use of our experience and knowledge and that is all. We do not owe > our customers, or ourselves, a sidestepping of responsibility for due care > and diligence through the use of numerous disclaimers. When you take your > automobile to be repaired you allow the shop a 10% overage in their estimate > without contacting you (in Florida), why should we do differently? The > doctor, lawyer, and indian chief don't disclaim their practices other than > due care and diligence through accepted practices, why should we ? I > further suppose that what I am saying is that when I reach the point where I > feel a disclaimer to cover all circumstances is needed to continue in this > profession I love so much that I will get out of the business and start > writing disclaimers for those souls who stay in. > Just another way of looking at it. :-) > Jim Bryant (FL) > >
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