interesting bits from piano history

[Dave Nereson]

    I'm thoroughly enjoying and finding interesting bits from Jack
Greenfield's "A History of Midwestern Piano Manufacturing".  To quote:  "The
most frequent problem tuners encountered was loose tuning pins.  Lack of
humidity in homes heated by steam radiators was quite common.  A remedy for
this was placing quart Mason jars filled with water inside the pianos.  Some
tuners stated their belief that the loose tuning pins were the result of
pins being driven in stringing rather than being turned.  One of the tuners
with a European background stated that in Europe all manufacturers turned
tuning pins."

    My reactions:  . . . and yet some people think that because their home
is heated with steam or hot water radiators, there's plenty of humidity.  I
try to explain that the water and steam remain contained in the pipes
(unless they leak), and it doesn't furnish any humidity to the piano, but
many remain convinced that it's not as dry as forced-air heat.  And I know
that to this day we all still find empty, dry jars in the bottoms of
vertical pianos; sometimes even under grands.
    Never heard of any manufacturers actually turning all their tuning pins
in rather than driving them, but maybe there were exceptions (?).

    Another quote:  "Pianos were usually tuned five or six times at the
factory.  Factory tuning was not well paid.  A tuner working for Adam
Schaaf, Chicago, said most factory tuners working on piece work earned no
more than $0.75 or $1.00 per tuning and it took 2 1/2 hours to do a good
job -- a half hour more than stringing!"   [Stringing took two hours.  This
was around 1916.]

    I wonder if the 2 1/2 hours was just turning tuning pins, or also
squeezing hitch pin loops, beckets, seating strings, helping the wire
conform to its various bends, etc., and maybe some voicing (?) -- although I
can certainly believe spending that amount of time on a new piano just
getting it to stay at pitch -- I've had stubborn ones take me just as long!

    Couple more quotes:  "Some dealers considered tuners a "necessary evil"
and some salesmen would never tell customers that pianos required regular
tuning."
        reaction to first part of sentence:  They still do.
        reaction to second part of sentence.  They still don't.
       ". . . . Such dealers with a staff of outside service sold three-year
contracts for twice yearly tuning in the home and more frequently in public
places or the "nickel show."  [movie houses which had player pianos]

        In a few old uprights I've noticed three or four tuning dates on the
plate within a year or two of the date of manufacture -- could've been one
of those contracts.  This was the idea behind Yamaha's "first free tuning"
and "six month service bond", which I thought was a good idea and got the
customer thinking "twice a year" right away.