How to sell a broken string

[Geoff Sykes]

David --

What would you consider "too hard a test blow"? Short of aggressively
slamming the keys I didn't think there was such a thing. At least on newer
pianos. I use dramatically softer test blows on older pianos already. Don't
want to push my luck in breaking action parts.

-- Geoff Sykes
-- Assoc. Los Angeles


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf
Of David Nereson
Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2005 12:15 AM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: How to sell a broken string


Geoff Sykes wrote:

> Greetings all, and happy holidays to everyone --
>  
> I had such great success with my last question that I thought I would
> post a second one. (I have a third one coming in a couple of days.)
>  
> Broken strings happen! Sometimes you can see the precursor evidence
> that indicates strings MAY break, but there really is no way to know 
> for sure that it may until it does.
>  
> When a string breaks, how do you explain to your customer that it
> wasn't your fault? Naturally this may be a little easier with 
> established customers with whom you have developed some trust. But 
> what about those first time customers? The ones to whom you may have 
> already had to explain the concept of pitch adjustment and stability, 
> and that subsequent additional charge. How do you explain the 
> situation, either before or after the fact, so that they will not only 
> pay for the repair, but also (hopefully) call you again?
>  
> Bonus question: What measures do you take, beyond being careful and
> crossing your fingers, to help prevent string breakage?
>  
> -- Geoff Sykes
> -- Assoc. Los Angeles

On old pianos, especially ones that have already had strings replaced or 
spliced, I point them out and tell the customer that more could break, 
especially if it needs a pitch raise.  But sometimes they just go, edven 
on a new piano, or for no apparent reason.   I tell the customer strings 
can break anytime, that there could have been a place where there was 
metal fatigue, a kink, an overlapped coil, that it might have been 
stretched too far when they chipped it up to pitch at the factory, that 
there's too much tension at the pressure bar, the gauge of wire might be 
wrong, the (bass) string takes too sharp an angle coming off the upper 
plate pin,  it went too long without tuning and the strings take a "set" 
at their various bearing points, the tuning pins are too close together 
and strings are "woven" or "braided" against each other, causing exess 
friction, the pitch was low, the hammer felt is too hard, there's 
rust/corrosion on the pressure bar or stringing felt, the strings don't 
render through the bridge pins because of rust/corrosion, the let-off is 
too close for hammers that hard, whatever.  In 27 years, I've had maybe 
a total of 2 customers who, even after the explanations or excuses, 
still thought it was my fault, and it might have beren, especially if it 
broke right at the pin, but they didn't refuse to pay for the 
replacement or splice. 
    As for avoiding breakage, I find I break a lot fewer strings than I 
did when I was starting out, even though back then, I always backed the 
pin off before pulling the string up, just as I do now.  I don't know 
what I do differently now, but I break fewer strings.    Some still do 
break, often because I used too hard a test blow.  C'est la vie.  You 
just splice it or replace it.  Charge for it or don't, depending on if 
you think it was your fault or not. 
    --David Nereson, RPT


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