tuning with Dampp-Chaser-pitch

[pianolover 88]

I NEVER lower the pitch of new pianos on the floor, unless they are way 
sharp;say more than 20C. The new piano wire will definitely relax and 
stretch, so to lower pitch to A440 if it comes in at A442 is a mistake IMHO, 
and NOT advised by the dealership..their quote: "if sharp, tune it where it 
is unless extremly sharp. If more than 6C flat, pitch raise to A440 or A442 
if 15C Flat or more." The "tune it sharp" rule applies mostly to new stock.

But when it gets to the home, we do a free tuning after about a month in the 
home. Then, if i sell a DC, I will explain thwe importance of returning for 
another tuning in about 3 months. They always agree because i explain the 
importance of tuning at least 3 times (ideally four)in the first year or two 
in order to stabilize the piano and keep it at correct pitch. The only 
problem, is that often, the piano will go flat because the DC removes excess 
moisture (which has been absorbed by the piano in the home where the 
humidity is usually very high)  and the fact that the piano wire is still 
new and stretching. And if, while I'm there doing the warranty tuning, and 
the piano is close to A440, I will tune it to that pitch, knowing that it 
would be better to pitch raise to A442, but the company won't pay me to PR 
it if it is already at pitch. My only luck is if the piano is already at 
A442 or more, then I only have to tune it there. Then when i return in 3-6 
months, it's close enough (usually) to A440 that a PR is not an issue.

Terry Peterson






>From: "Tom Servinsky" <tompiano@gate.net>
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Subject: Re: tuning with Dampp-Chaser-pitch
>Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 20:15:30 -0500
>
>Ditto Phil,
>When I used to do deal prep work I was doing the same thing with extremely
>predictable results. After experiencing the pitch drop behaviors of
>different brands I would set the  pianos at A442 and within 3 weeks with a
>dampp chaser the pianos were at pitch ready to be fine tuned.
>However some of the lower end pianos, ones with lower wood qualities, would
>drop as much as 16c in a 2 week period.
>Tom Servinsky,RPT
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Phil Bondi" <pbondi2@comcast.net>
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2002 5:16 PM
>Subject: Re: tuning with Dampp-Chaser-pitch
>
>
> > 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
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.