close enough>??

[Don]

Hi Conrad,

I guess drawing the line depends on where the end user wants the piano. If
it is for a home and RCT is being used then probably I'd do a single pass
and shedule another tuning for the near future--depending on the end
results in three months, one month, or one week. If the folks don't have
humidity control the next tuning would be "floated" to minize pitch
correction unless humidity is at an identical level--then it would be pitch
corrected in a single pass tuning--and the next service call would be
booked for three months.

If it were for a concert then I'd do three or four passes to get it stable
and settled. One pass in pitch correction mode--check results, 2nd pass
either in pitch correction mode or temperament mode, 3rd pass in
temperament mode. The last pass (3 or 4) would be almost always entirely be
done with my "wetware" tuner. I charge for each pass as a tuning, less a
small allowance for travel costs on additional passes.

The end cost to the client is essentially identical--just that the home
user gets to pay for it over 3 to 6 months--whereas the concert venue pays
for *all* of it at one fell swoop.

I do like the idea of charging by "time" rather than by "service"
particularly for concert venues. It makes waiting quite a distinct
pleasure, when the "clock" is running.

At 09:02 AM 1/24/2003 -0600, you wrote:
>Friends,
>
>I've been lurking on this discussion, and been having my curiosity piqued. 
>A collateral question formed in my alleged brain.
>
>
>I know about pitch raises, I just finished one. (Details below)
>I know from previous threads that some tuners charge a per cent surcharge 
>for pitch raises - some beginning at 2¢.
>
>
>The piano which I just tuned (1971 Yamaha P2E) had (according to RCT) a 
>pitch of 440.4Hz @ A4. This is just less than 2¢. So, according to the 
>above criterium, it should be a standard tuning.  Right?
>
>HA! Wrong...  Maybe if it were the Hamburg D which I tune every week.
>
>IT NEEDED A PITCH RAISE.
>
>The bass section was 8-23¢ flat, the first two plain unisons were -23¢ and 
>-40¢ with the pitch getting to within 4¢ by about F4 and staying there 
>until above the treble break where it went to a fairly constant -15/20¢.
>
>How you gonna charge for this? Average the cents deviation? Pick a note at 
>random? Use a dartboard?
>
>Do you have to wait until you are done and _then_ show the customer the 
>record of overpulls?
>
>Big pitch raises on those once-a-decade tunings are no-brainers.
>
>
>Where and (more importantly) _how_ do you draw the line?
>
>Conrad
>
>
>Conrad Hoffsommer - Music Technician
>Luther College, 700 College Dr., Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
>Vox-(563)-387-1204 // Fax (563)-387-1076(Dept.office)
>
>- People never grow up, they just learn how to act in public. -Bryan White
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>

Regards,
Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T.

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