My first experience with being unprepared came one day after traveling to a near by state for a tuning. I got there, opened up the piano, muted off the strings, placed my tuning hammer on the pin when the handle promptly feel to the keybed while the hammerhead was still snug on the pin. I was very fortunate to have the student hammer I started out with in restringing box. I had never considered the importance of having a backup before that moment, and have never been without one since. I have found that the more prepared you are for any service you might encounter the more likely you are to get the extra work. For example, if you can do a bench repair in the next 20 minutes, vers. taking it home with you, making the repair in your shop, and dropping it back off the next time your in the neighborhood, you will be more likely to get the extra repair job. And it is much more cost effective to boot! I carry enough tools, equipment, and spare parts to do everything short of a complete rebuild, and refinish. I carry a complete restringing kit, A well stocked Mohawk touchup kit (with all the polishes and dust rags you could ever want ), a very large fisherman's tackle box with all the little drawers and bins which are just perfect for all those various parts, one small tuning bag with all the essentials for a normal (if there is such a thing) run of the mill visit, and one very large (expensive) professional tool case with every tool imaginable (even the ones that are worthless) with all the bells and whistle, for no other purpose than to overwhelm and impress the first time client. Over kill?...maybe so, but when you really need something, it makes it all worthwhile. And it more then makes up for the extra gas you expend carrying all that extra crap form heck to breakfast day in and day out. The choice and the consequence of it are yours to decide. Good luck. Paul Gates RPT Farmington Ut.
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