the burden of our profession

[Bob Hull]

Andre,

Sorry I don't know how to make the accent character
over the letter e of your name.

I agree with you about "the burden of our profession".
Whether to be the cheap and quick tech (even though
they are cheaper I think customers still think they
are paying a lot of money)or whether to take the high
road and do the job right.  As we seek to do the job
right we have two choices: a)tell the customer how
much this will cost and do it only if they are willing
to pay or  b)do it the right way even after we have
given a quote that did not include this and not
getting paid for it.   

For me, it is an educational process that I think will
never totally end.  If I try to improve the action by
changing the spread then that will cost me time/money
that I didn't figure into this job. On the other hand
if the piano plays well it will help my reputation as
a good rebuilder.  (I'm not what I would consider a
good rebuilder yet.) The potential business
recommendations are what I'm interested in.

Hopefully, the more I understand about action
geometry, setting downbearing, etc., the quicker I can
diagnose and solve problems.  Speed will equal earning
power.  As nice as customer satisfaction is I still
have to be able to pay my bills.  So, economics always
weighs in.

The frustrating part of the educational process is
that the best learning opportunities are very few and
far between.  The way our PTG conventions offer
classes is not sequential and in-depth.  You can take
a class or two on regulation but we really don't have
the opportunity to take the whole week and zero in
with appropriate detail and hands-on learning to get a
synthesis on a subject like action geometry.  

So, we are left to read articles, ask questions, and
experiment but it is a slow process which leaves a lot
of holes in our understanding.  

It can be a burden but I try to keep a positive
attitude and enjoy my work.  

Meanwhile, back to experimenting with this action
spread.  First of all, I want to see what adding 1 mm
will do.

Have a good day.

Bob Hull
--- antares <antares@euronet.nl> wrote:
> 
> On 20-mrt-05, at 1:38, Bob Hull wrote:
> 
> > Here's one more piece of info: The new wippen (the
> one
> > that you can add a heel) is 9.95 cm from center
> pin to
> > center pin and the old wippen was 9.8 cm.  This
> makes
> > a difference I'm sure. Is it further indication of
> > need to change the spread?
> >
> > --- Bob Hull <hullfam5@yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> There is always the so called economical/commercial
> question : will the 
> customer pay for all this?
> I personally think it is like this:
> There are circumstances where we take on a repair
> without really 
> knowing what is awaiting us. Sometimes we think we
> know everything and 
> at the same time we are humiliated by the fact that
> we have to, again, 
> encounter the umpteenth problem we had not yet
> resolved in the past.
> It always costs money because of course we try to
> "make it better" what 
> ever the cost etc.
> That's the burden of our profession.
> Some techs just leave it at that and make a living
> anyway.
> Other tech bend their backs over the problems and
> try to make the very 
> best of it.
> In practice (I am speaking for myself) the latter is
> the best because 
> at least you have tried and did whatever you could.
> The acquired knowledge is to your benefit and to the
> benefit of future 
> clients... in other words, technicians who want to
> improve their skills 
> automatically
> by taking the bull by the horns, while others go for
> the easy buck and 
> the not-so-nice-reputation.
> 
> In your case, it depends on how the instruments
> plays and sounds.
> If YOU are unhappy with the result, then you know
> what to do.
> The question remains : will your customer pay for
> the extra work?
> 
> 
> friendly greetings
> from
> André Oorebeek
> 
> www.concertpianoservice.nl
> 
> "Where music is no harm can be"
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info:
> https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
> 


		
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