tuning with Dampp-Chaser-pitch

Phil Bondi pbondi2@comcast.net
Sat, 23 Mar 2002 17:16:45 -0500


Terry, I also do alot of 'warranty' tunings for a local dealer..I also do
the floor tunings.

On the floor, I will sometimes raise the pitch to 442. I have a very
un-sceintific method for determining what piano gets raised: If the piano
comes into the dealership pretty close to pitch(within 8 cents), then I set
pitch at 440. I have also seen pianos come in pretty sharp(442+)..for those,
I bring them down to 440. For those pianos that come in pretty flat, they
get set at 442.

It's my theory that the closer they come in to 440, the more attention was
paid to them at the manufacturer, hence the thought that 440 will be fine
once it's moved into the customer's home. The ones that come in pretty flat,
in my experience, are the ones that will go flatter faster, and will also
need more attention on the floor before they are sold.

..like I said, it's unscientific, but I've been doing it this way for this
dealer for 3 years. This all came about after a disagreement we had about
pitch-raising in the customer's home. I think a pitch riase should never
happen with a new piano sold by a 'reputable' dealer (that's where I got
him!). So, he agreed to my experiment and he hasn't paid for a pitch raise
in the customer's home since.

Terry, I'd be careful if I were you about charging for a 'ptch-correction'
so soon after a sale. A talk with the dealership might be in order before
you go charging the new piano owner. Are you retaining these customers as
your own or do they still belong to the dealership? Either way, you're
stepping on touchy turf with the thought of charging for 'pitch-correction'
so soon after a sale.

Phil










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