Rebuild Sales Approach

[Ron Nossaman]

>I've been servicing a 1920s S&S L for five years. It plays like a truck, 
>has loose tuning pins, dead bass strings, false beats and a dismal killer 
>octave section. The owner knows the action is toast and wants it rebuilt. 
>However, his wife has commented on how nice it sounds since Mr. Patchemup 
>restrung (totally rebuilt, of course) the piano some thirty years ago. For 
>some reason I am hesitant to try and sell the whole package - which it 
>definitely needs if the piano is to perform like it should/could.
>
>Any recommendations on how to approach this without sounding like a used 
>car salesman?
>
>He has already told me he wants to do the action after he moves this 
>summer (to a condo on the bay - as in no $$ troubles here).
>
>Thanks.
>
>Terry Farrell


A current customer of mine had a Chickering "rebuilt" about ten years ago, 
and recently asked my opinion of it's condition. I pointed out that the 
piano had been restrung, hammers replaced, keytops replaced but not filed 
to fit the keys, and refinished  - but that the problems that made it 
difficult to play and sound so bad (compared to her other piano, purchased 
new about the time the work was done on the Chickering), hadn't been 
addressed with the "rebuild". Since she had been aware of the difference, 
she was receptive to a listing of these problems and their solutions. She 
says she wants it done again, with the soundboard it needed the first time, 
and the new action, pinblock, etc.

I don't know a good way to "sell" these jobs. All I've ever been able to do 
is give them my honest opinion of what it needs and why, and discussing 
pros and cons of any half way or sequential staging approaches. Doing the 
action in the piano you've mentioned theoretically means that the rest of 
the piano could be done at a later date to make it as thoroughly nice as 
you are able, with the very real possibility that the choice of hammers and 
voicing would have been considerably different with the soundboard 
replacement and re-scaling, had they been done at the same time as the 
action. I figure that if they want something as expensive as an action 
overhaul, they are consequently committed to sitting through an educational 
lecture on what that means in performance terms compared to doing the whole 
piano.

But then, I expect that's at least part of why I ain't rich.

Ron N