Raise pitch vr. Up to Pitch

[Jon Page]

At 08:12 PM 11/22/98 PST, you wrote:
>I suggest tuning at regular intivals and raising it each time.  This is 
>a pitch raise and I inform them of that. This way, I will not have 
>wasted my time getting it up to pitch.
-----------
>I'm curious as to why you do this and not raise the pitch to a=440.  Is 
>it a waste of time to perform a full pitch raise?  I get the feeling of 
>"good customers vs. bad customers" here.  I also see this in my area.  
>Some tuners will leave a healthy piano under pitch when it is obvious 
>that the piano's pitch could be at a=440.  ????????
> 

I think my point was missed. I was mostly relating to the story of the
Whitney spinet who rarely gets it tuned. I usually bring it up. I can p/r
and tune and be gone in under an hour but if they fall into the +4 p/r
catagory I'm out of there in less than a half hour. It is not up to me to
slave over their piano if they are not going to take proper care of it, the
customer probably doesn't care what pitch it is. All she is going to
remember is that it cost SO much to tune it. There goes another 10+ yrs.

For someone like this, why waste the time and risk breaking strings
making the bill even higher. When all she really wanted was for it to
sound better. "Better" for her is "not as bad as it is now".

This way I am not tortured while attempting to tune a spinet.

But as it stands now, I don't have that problem. 10 years ago I reached
the point where Clyde is now. All uprights, consoles and spinet owners
were referred to other tuners. 5 years ago I referred all grands as well
including some long time customers. These tuners reciprocate by sending
me repair work.  I have fewer than 30 pianos in my tuning base and I'm
trying to make that number smaller. I have gotten to the point of dreading
to tune. Fortunately everyone is understanding when I tell them,
"I don't tune anymore".
>-------------
>We have now entered what could be a vast and very subjective topic.  
>Personally, making the piano sound as good as it can possibly sound is 
>how I get my kicks.  That's why I'm in the business and my customers 
>usually hear when I'm all done - "Nothin'  like a freshly tuned piano."

I would like to make them sound as best possible but that frequently meant
action adjustments which they would rather defer doing. Realizing they didn't
need a technician but only a tuner to service their pianos I referred them
to a
tuner.

However, I just remembered one thing that happened. I was called in to tune
and the customer said that he didn't like the last tuner's tuning. I played it
and it was acceptable. He said there was something about it he didn't like.
I check the pitch, flat. I p/r'd and tuned and he was delighted. I told him
it was
not the tuning of the last tuner, but the pitch.  And recommended he call that
tuner next time and request 440. This was a Baldwin grand. The tuner had
pointed out to the customer that it was flat and he did not want to pay for
a p/r.
But it was his choice not to pull it to pitch. 

Another strange twist happened a few times where they called for a tuning
and they proudly showed me their newly rebuilt piano. I mentioned that I 
actually perfer to do that over tuning and their response was, "I thought
you only tuned". (a real teeth clincher) That prompted me to stop tuning
and concentrate on shop work.

It has worked out very well. I did tune two pianos last week. One of them
I'll refer back to the tuner who sent me that action work and I have another
tuning scheduled for Dec. 20. for a performance of the Vienna Boys Choir.
That's a Sunday.  The piano arrives 9am (fingers crossed), delivered in
a cold truck. Piano warms up for rehersal at noon. Tuning at 1pm,
concert at 3pm.  They wanted the tuning done right away. I persuaded
them to wait.

So to get back to the topic, it is not that I do not p/r, I would weigh the
effort I was about to expend with the needs of the customer. If I could
get out quick and they got off cheap; we both were happy.
For instance, a quick pitch raise and a recommendation to have it tuned
in a month. If they follow up, fine. If not, then I am not beating my brains
out for someone who is not going to take care of it anyways.

But it is a double edged sword, the customer forgets what you told them
and someone comes in and says, "This doesn't sound right".
It's a crap shoot.  :-)  But does that still mean that you are supposed to 
perform super human feats on this wretched piano if they are going to
wait another 10 years to have it tuned?

Children taking lessons is a different matter and requires the point of 
440 to be stressed to the parents. As well as action regulation.
I've p/r'd for free when their budgets couldn't afford it and the kiddies
needn't take the brunt of it.

Oh well, enough rambling. This week is shop renovation week.
Just taking a break from installing shelves and relocating all this STUFF !

Jon Page
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>Just what IS tuning anyways, isn't it to make it sound acceptabe?
>>And acceptable to whom?  One man's bread is another man's bird feed.
>-------------
>And the customer hopefully will see the benefit in regular servicing.
>Then they can decide if they want to properly maintain it.
>>They are the masters of their own destiny. (cool)
>>
>>They'll do what they're gunna do. I've stopped trying to convince. I
>>explain the situation, from there it is up to them.
>--------------
>Well said - I agree totally.
>-------------
>Jay Mercier