antecdotal voicing, kinda long

[Terry Beckingham]

Jim,

Thanks for the informative post. I have never had a customer complain and
perhaps that is the problem. There was one customer last fall who had just
purchased a used Kawai CX-4S console (1986 model). After I tuned it, she
mentioned that it seemed rather bright, but she liked it that way. This
piano was in excellent shape. The grooves in the hammers were hardly
noticeable. I suspect that it just has hard hammers which could have
benefited from voicing, but she liked it the way it was.

Most of the pianos which I tune are in the 70-90 year old range. Many of
them don't have enough felt left on the hammers to do anything with. It
would be nice to install new hammers and do some voicing to them, but the
value of the pianos after the job would probably be only the value the
replacement hammers. 

I did do some action work on a 1901 Mehlin and Sons upright around
Christmas. Since I had the action in my shop anyway, I filed hammers and
gave them a light steaming. My customer said the piano had not sounded that
good in many years. The job was done as a Christmas present for the lady's
husband. When he played it on Christmas day, he couldn't believe how it
sounded. He even phoned me a few days after Christmas to say thanks. It is
nice to get a compliment like that every so often. 

I think I will see if I can attend Roger's hands on workshop in June. I am
sure it will be beneficial.

Cheers

Terry Beckingham

At 01:57 PM 1/20/00 EST, you wrote:
>Terry, et al;
>
>  A few nights ago I was speaking with Roger J., via land line, discussing 
>various and sundry important 'stuff' and I mentioned that I was going out the 
>next morning on a 'dealer' call.  Seems that a brand 'X' domestic piano had 
>been sold/delivered and subsequently three techs had not been able to satisfy 
>the customer with their 'tuning'.  I was asked by the dealer to see what I 
>could do to make a "happy customer".
>  Roger and I agreed that it probably was not a tuning problem, rather a 
>'voicing ' problem.......sure enough the next morning the customer complained 
>bitterly about the "tuning" quality sounding "harsh".   The "tuning" was very 
>good....but the voicing was atrocious, with a large A :-)
>
>  As far as this customer was concerned the problem was "tuning" and if "I 
>didn't recognize that then perhaps someone else should come out who did 
>recognize what the problem was" (paraphrased).....................Well now 
>what to do???!!!........ remember I am working for the 'dealer' and not 
>myself in this instance. Had I been working for myself I would have used the 
>"Nossman" method and choked him on the spot :-)  But instead I used the 
>alternate "Nossman" method and put on my 'dealer' diplomatic hat, patiently 
>explaining that there were a finite number of tuners in Jacksonville and if 
>he didn't trust my judgement that eventually he would have to trust somebodys 
>or return the piano.............he said that he loved his piano, had saved 
>for years to be able to afford it, and just wanted it to sound right!!!  So 
>hesitantly he allowed me to "try" voicing a "few" first.  Bingo!! 
>
>"Yes, that's more what I want to hear" after I had voiced down a few of the 
>tenor section thingees......"can you make the whole scale sound that way?" So 
>after voicing down the whole thingees line I set about evening things up and 
>left a very happy consumer playing his little heart out on a piano that 
>"sounds right".
>
> Voicing, as is tuning, regulation, etc., is an extremely important part of 
>the techs toolbox and should not be left to chance to learn, rather it should 
>be assiduously sought after...easier said than done I know...........but 
>there it is. Equally important is the ability to decipher what the customer 
>is saying from their perception and translate it into reality.
>   Case in point...this piano had been "tuned" by three very good tuners 
>before I got there but the customer was unhappy with their "tuning".........I 
>touched not a single string or tuning pin while I was there and left a very 
>satisfied customer.
>
>  Having been the 'fourth' "tuner" gave me an advantage. I knew before I got 
>to the customers house that "tuning" probably was not the problem because 
>those who went before are in fact good tuners. After listening to the piano 
>and what the customer was saying it was obviously a 'voicing problem' but 
>even more of a 'perception' problem................................
>
>  We all need to carefully voice our hearing to 'what' the customer is saying 
>and not how it is being said, because only then can we use our skills to addre
>ss the 'real' problem and not just fool around with the symptoms. I know that 
>I need a shot in the arm like this occasionally to keep me attentive :-)
>Jim Bryant (FL)
>  
>