---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Jim, At 07:51 AM 12/25/04, you wrote: >Dave >I wonder if there is a 'car' analogy that might be useful . . . I have my >oil changed regularly, nad ya know, I don't notice a darn bit of >difference $100 later . . .?? Wow! If you have to pay $100.00 to have your oil changed, I think we're ALL in the ] wrong business! :-) Avery >I have the same dilemma with many customers, and when I am listening to >myself talk to the customer, I sometimes think I sound like an >encyclopedia salesman . . .! >Oh well, such are the thrills of the job . . . >Hope you have a happy Christmas with your family, and know that all those >'tuned' pianos will be making your customers christmas's a little bit >better . . . > >------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Jim Kinnear ><http://www.kinnearpiano.com>www.kinnearpiano.com >Collingwood, ON, Canada > >The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress > -- Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher >A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, >but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort! > > > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Dave Nereson" <<mailto:davner@kaosol.net>davner@kaosol.net> >To: <<mailto:pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org> >Sent: Saturday, December 25, 2004 3:23 AM >Subject: why sell maintenance the customer won't notice? > > > > > Tuned a medium-quality console that was 25 or 30 years old and had had > > minimal use. While tuning along, I noticed that it could use vacuuming > and > > a light hammer filing, but not terribly. There was a bit too much lost > > motion, but not enough to bother most players. Several hammers weren't > > quite aligned to the center of the unisons, but were still striking all > > three strings. I'm sure the keys weren't perfectly level, nor the dip > > nicely uniform, and from its age and length of time without tuning, I'm > sure > > all the flange screws needed tightening, along with plate screws and all > > other screws. Oh, and there were a few strings in the treble that maybe > > needed seating on the bridge or maybe their bridge pins tapped in (false > > beats). And I imagine that the let-off was a bit wide. But it played > > nicely and had a decent, acceptable tone and sustain. > > Nevertheless, I thought I should point out to the owner what work the > > piano could use in addition to tuning to put it in top shape. So I > > explained all the above-mentioned items, that it was 30 years old and no > > piano goes that long without needing at least some routine > maintenance, and > > that it would cost a few hundred dollars to do a complete job. > > She replied, "What would I notice?" > > And you know, in all honesty, I had to reply, "Well, maybe not much." > > The tone might be a LITTLE rounder after hammer filing, or it might be too > > bright and need subsequent voicing down. The tone was pretty nice as it > > was. She MIGHT notice that the action was a tiny bit more responsive (no > > lost motion, closer let-off) IF she was a fairly advanced player, which > she > > was not. But vacuuming, tightening plate and flange screws, seating > strings > > or bridge pins, de-traveling "wandering" shanks, regulating dip . . . I > > doubt she or most average casual players would notice any change. (I > > already tuned it). > > Now, with much older pianos where the hammers are extremely worn > and the > > action is extremely out of regulation, or when the hammers badly need > > voicing, often the difference after reconditioning is dramatic. And > > sometimes the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, that is, they > > might not notice this or that item, but all together, the reconditioning > > improves the sound and touch of the instrument. But in this case, I had a > > hard time selling the job to even myself. > > Whatta ya do in these cases? Just leave it? Wait until it's "pretty > > bad" before you work on it? Why should they spend $300 or more if the > piano > > will feel and sound about the same as it did before? It doesn't increase > > the value all that much. It does prevent things from getting worse, I > > guess, but in this case, I think the piano would be about the same, > > regulation-wise, in 5 or even 10 years from now, with its very casual use, > > since it's been "about the same" for the LAST 5 or 10 years. > > --David Nereson, RPT > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > pianotech list info: > <https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives>https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/b4/3c/d5/6a/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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