Curmudgeon Concedes

[BSimon999@AOL.COM]

List:

Thanks to many thoughtful comments in response to my initial post, I realize 
that my annual rant for some Standards of Practice was misdirected.  

I strongly favor technical progress and new products.  The perfect hammer of 
the future may well be a disposable self-skinning urethane injection molded 
blob, and if it is, fine. If the temperament of the 2000's is the Klingon 
temperament, it is likely to be proven progress, not regression.

I applaud the efforts of the PTG, which have made vast improvements in the 
level of average technical piano service.  I refer customers that I cannot 
handle only to RPT's.  To abrade PTG for not having a complete Standard of 
Good Practice is an error. A standard that set equal temperament as THE 
standard would have a negative effect on progress and the "ART" of the craft. 
It would be anti-evolutionary.

For what it is worth, what irritated me about the use of "Snuggles" was my 
associating it with all the unproved and damaging products I still find in 
pianos. I see bass bridge cracks repaired with wood putty. I have see tuning 
pins and even hammers that are as sticky as flypaper from whatever was put 
onto them.  I have seen hammers saturated with grease, and with latex house 
paint. Who has not seen hammers tipped with tacks or an action sprayed with 
WD-40?  If one cares, one sometimes can get carried away, but it is seldom 
the best form.

This mailing list has done more good than harm, but I do think it has 
prompted some harm from members that think anything mentioned on the list has 
been vetted.  Perhaps what is more needed is a FAQ type list of "Things to 
Never Do!" Now THAT could be very useful and more easily agreed upon.

I apologize to those I offended by my remarks, for the members of this list 
are seldom the problem, theygenerally inspire progress.  I am, however,  
still glad I brought up the subject. With all the vacuous bandwidth on this 
list, worse things have happened. Perhaps my original post helped someone, 
perhaps not.  I still maintain that the application of new products to 
customer's good pianos should be done very cautiously and with testing and 
reason.  Thanks to all the dead POS's out there,  there will always be 
harmless opportunities for radical experimentation.

Thanks for your responses,

Bill Simon
Phoenix