Is my memory going?

[James Grebe]

John, I , wholeheartedly disagree.  If dentists and doctors operated like
that would we be better off financially, physically?  It is our duty to keep
these pianos up.  If we do not take the responsibility, no one else will.
    This morning, I just tuned a Steinway L that was new in 1999 and had 1
tuning since.  The previous tuner  was sub standard by the customers opinion
and the piano was awful and had a sticking damper in the middle that made
the piano unusable.  She was afraid to call another tuner.  It was 29c below
pitch and I will be back in 2 weeks  to stabilize it.  From now one it will
be among the clients I remind about the time.  A fine piano as well as a
mediocre piano deserves and needs attention, service wise, to be usable.  If
it is not us, then who?

James Grebe
Piano-Forte Tuning & Repair
Artisan of Wood
WWW.JamesGrebe.com
1526 Raspberry Lane
Arnold, MO 63010
pianoman@accessus.net
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Ross" <jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2004 6:49 AM
Subject: Is my memory going?


> Hi List,
>
> I went to an appointment the other day. When I went in the house, the
> customer said, "you were the last one to tune it."
>
> I said, I am sorry I don't remember. She said don't feel bad, it was 19
> years ago. Ok, definitely too long. But..
>
> This was a little old lady, who only used it to play for herself.
> Sure, it should have been tuned sooner. Actually only two unisons were
> really bad, and she said she still played it, and enjoyed it. It was down,
> 10c - 35c.
>
> I got thinking, (I know something new), this is a situation, where calling
> and recommending, a tuning every year or more, was not required.
>
> I would feel bad, calling this woman regularly, and saying time to have
your
> piano tuned, and taking her money.
>
> That is why I never call. I always let them call me.
>
> If I was to call everyone, the year wouldn't be long enough to do them
all.
>
> I feel in some cases, calling people and doing there piano, on a frequent
> basis, is unethical. Now I am talking of the little old lady, on a fixed
> income, that only plays for her own enjoyment.  Not a situation, where a
> child is taking lessons, or a serious player.
>
> After a piano is stabilized, I see nothing wrong, with every 3 or 4 years,
> for a tuning.
>
> Any comments?
>
> Regards
> John M. Ross
> Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
> jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca
>
>
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