Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad

[Mark Wisner]

"Buy one tuning get one free", huh?  Interesting marketing idea, but I hope you abandon it soon in case it starts to catch on.  

But who am I to talk?  My first in home tuning for money took five hours. (O'course that was over 30 years ago and almost EVERYTHING took longer in the 70's....)  Anyway after five hours of tuning I was pretty proud of the results and to my delight, the customer enthusiastically agreed and joyfully wrote a check.  It wasn't until later that I realized that they were probably not so much impressed with the tuning than they were just worn out from the racket and glad it was finally over.

I can't speak for other PTG chapters but at the chapter I belong to we are delighted to have interested technicans attend meetings as guests.  Call Richard Bittinger @ 717 293 8639 to find out when and where the Reading-Lancaster chapter meets.  He can also tell you their policy regarding non-members and if there is a reduced rate for student members.  I can't stress involvment in PTG enough.  
   

-------Original Message-------
From: Jeffrey Schlaybach <schlaybach@earthlink.net>
Sent: 09/05/03 01:38 PM
To: Mark Wisner <mwissner@earthlink.net>, pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Re: RE: Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad

> 
> I agree Mark! I am a beginning tuner/technician taking the Randy Potter
course. He "provides" his students with the Reblitz book and has many
reading assignments in the book as well. There are some great pictures and
it is good to read Randy's instructions and ideas and bounce them off of
those in the Reblitz book. I also learn so much reading, mostly on the
sidelines, the commentary on this mail list. I also search the archives
for
ideas as well.

I made the tuning business official 3 weeks ago (sales tax number and trip
to the CPA) and have tuned 3 pianos and eased and repair keys on a 4th.
(not
much business but it is a start) In announcing my business I made mention
of
a buy 1 tuning, get one tuning free coupon (good for 6 months) to
acknowledge to these first "daring" customers that I am still learning and 
I
may not have set a pin or two correctly, etc. I currently use TuneLab Pro
demo version until I can afford to buy a copy without the 2 minute
countdown
every 44 notes. I use that time right now to recheck what I've done so
when
I'm finished I don't have so much rechecking and tweaking to do.

Since I am unemployed (20 1/2 years at one company as an electrical
engineer) the PTG membership will have to wait until I either see a
increase
in business or find another job and continue the tuning business at night
and on weekends.

Jeff Schlaybach
Robesonia, PA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Wisner" <mwissner@earthlink.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 8:22 AM
Subject: Re: RE: Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad


> The Reblitz book is a must.  So is joining the PTG and attending every
meeting and convention you can afford to get to.  But "book-learning"
usually isn't as good of a teacher in this business as experience is. 
Take
on every job that comes your way and accept that it will take you longer
now
than it will later.  And to be fair to your customers while you are honing
your skills to a razors edge of technical perfection, price the work
according to how long it would have taken you to do if you already knew
how
to do it.
>
>
> -------Original Message-------
> From: Joey Recker <joey@onkeypianotuning.com>
> Sent: 09/05/03 07:52 AM
> To: 'Pianotech' <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Subject: RE: Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad
>
> >
> > "It's somewhat ironic that most of the pianos a brand new tuner will
see
> are small spinets are aren't that well taken care of."
>
> I can relate!  Allow me to introduce myself.  I'm Joey Recker and I live
> in Southwest Georgia.  Been tuning for a little less than a year.  I've
> got about 30 customers and growing rapidly but have tuned only 1 nice
> Grand since starting.  About 20 of the remainder have been Spinets that
> I struggled with for 3 to 4 hours a piece to get to resemble a piano.
>
> Changing subject here a bit...  But I need to further my education.  I
> completed the American School of Piano Tuning via correspondance and had
> the benefit of a local store owner / piano tuner (who doesn't want to
> tune anymore) to help me and send all his business my way.  I feel that
> my tuning and stability (although I can always improve) are well within
> standards.  However, I've been lurking here for about 3 months and much
> of what ya'll (remember, I'm from GA) discuss is way over my head.  Many
> of the piano's I tune have keys that stick down or hammers that return
> slowly, or dampers that don't completely damp.  I struggle through the
> trouble-shooting process trying to fix these things before I tune and
> spend most of my time (sometimes hours) working on these problems.
>
> Sorry for the long set up...   Here's the question.  Any recommended
> reading to further my knowledge from the basics?  Not as interested in
> the mathemetic and theory at this point...  But more interested in
> practical hints and tips and how to "track down" and correct the
> problems I encounter.  It seems sometimes like I know enough to be
> dangerous.
>
> Thanks in advance for helping the new guy.
>
> JR
>
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
> >
>
> Mark Wisner
>

> 

Mark Wisner