The posts of some of you "professional piano technicians" are getting harder and harder to take. << More and more often, I am voicing hammers using a solution of "snuggles", alcohol and water,...>> Why "snuggles" ? - why not beer, or axel grease thinned with power steering fluid to soften hammers, and lemonade or melted low fat ice cream to harden hammers? ( I guarantee these products will change the tonal output of the hammers.) Do ANY of you do any TESTING on your own pianos, or experiment for perhaps a day or two before you apply cockamamie concoctions to the expensive pianos of customers? Is there an extensive chemistry education background in some of you that I have missed? Considering that piano technology is long established, and cures for various problems are rather well known and proven safe and effective, it seems like the current "professional" practice has deteriorated to five minutes of pouring onto hammers any $1.19 product from Safeway, --and voila-- it sounds different. ( No matter that harm is done.) How about this idea for a action reconditioning? Leave the action out in the rain for a few days! The water will soften the hammers and the tone will improve, the action centers will swell and shrink upon drying and free up, and the key bushings will tighten up a lot, eliminating key slop! Genius. Seems to me that the sterling professionals that advocate new treatments, on any part of a piano, should have the burden of proof that they cause no harm and are better than the old ways. If they are proven out and become part of decent established practice, the fellow should be given credit and renown! AND, - to be ethical "professionals" - if you do find a product to pour on hammers and in 2 minutes they are all better forever, then the result to the customer should cost the customer LESS, - unless it is part of a con job. Recently I read here that someone leaves the pitch raise tuning DELIBERATELY " ROUGH" so that the customer is more impressed with their tuning the next session. They were feeling a bit sheepish about that. I have a tip for you, -- this is the essence of a con job, doing deliberately inferior work, when better work could be done, to con the customer into believing something that isn't true! Where the hell are the " Standards of Practice" found in real professions? What is the PTG for if not to establish such standards and educate towards them? Bronx cheer, Bill Simon Phoenix
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC