Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad

[Jeffrey Schlaybach]

I should have written that it is to the first TWELVE daring customers - so
it will come to and end.

Thanks for the tip on the local PTG meetings - I've already attended one of
the Lancaster-Reading meetings and plan to be at the meeting as a guest,
next week as well. I'm getting to know Clyde Holllinger little by little and
Master Willis Snyder is our (dare I say this now) *former* piano tuner.

Jeff
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Wisner" <mwissner@earthlink.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: Re: RE: Some Days are Grand, Some are Bad


> "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
>