JIV-jumping into voicing

[Geoff Sykes]

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Forgive me for adding to the rant, but it might be interesting to find =
out
just how many (legit) tuners, here in LA, have more than "1 or 2 =
percent" of
their customers who want, and are willing to pay for, more than a
"tune-&-run" visit from a piano tech. I am a relative newbie to this
profession and so far even the customers I service with decent piano's
aren't willing to have them serviced more than once every couple of =
years.
And anything beyond a basic tuning is just more money than they want to
spend. I seriously look forward to the day when I have finally earned =
and
developed a client base that actually wants this kind of service and is
willing to pay for it. Not just for the money, but because I seriously =
want
to learn and cultivate those skills. If 98% of what I have to look =
forward
to from day to day are tune & run bookings, because that's what the =
client
wants, then I'm gonna be mighty bored.
=20
-- Geoff Sykes
-- Assoc. Los Angeles
=20
...with lots still to learn to escape the average.

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On =
Behalf
Of David Andersen
Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2005 9:39 AM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: JIV-jumping into voicing



 That said the goal is for an improved tone even if , in your own ears, =
it's
not perfect. People/clients who really have ears to hear will except any
improvement as a pleasure in the right direction. Truth be told there =
are
sooo many lousy sounding pianos in the field because no one is asking =
the
questions you are or at least not bothering to stab a few needles etc to
risk for something possibly great!
 How I wish the bad habit of tune & run to the next tuning could be
remedied.
 It's not real customer service IMHO.
  I think I just changed the topic. Oh My!
  Dale Erwin




Great words.  In 25 years of working on pianos in LA, with the last 10 =
or so
years mostly dedicated to good and expensive grand pianos, the number of
pianos that had been maintained in any realm beyond tuning before I came =
on
them was, and is, miniscule....1 or 2 percent, literally.  What a joke.
And a tragedy, really, for our profession.  All this talk, endless talk,
about pianos, and service, and how to do this and that with pianos, and =
then
the harsh reality:  almost nobody's actually doing it in good grand =
pianos
in LA. Why?  Because "tune & run"  is the easy money. A no-brainer.  The
average guy here charges $100-120.  Do six tune-and-runs a day, and =
you're
living large.  Do it five days a week, and it's 3 grand a week, and =
baby's
got a new pair o' shoes.=20

On the other hand, just shoot me now if that's what I have to look =
forward
to: average clients, piano after piano in bad mechanical and tonal =
shape,
and propagating the paradigm of "I don't give a rat's ass, so why should =
my
clients?  Why should I educate them about tone and touch when it'll just
slow me down, make me work and acquire new skills, work new muscles, and
(the final nail in the coffin:)
'anyway, none of my clients care or can hear or feel the difference.'"

What a crock of s**t.  Everybody can hear and feel the difference,
including, first and foremost, YOU.

Don't be a sellout.  Learn how t work on pianos past the tuning, and =
quit
telling your self destuctive things, like nobody can hear or feel the
difference....quit being so dang negative.

End of rant.  Thank you.

David Andersen=20


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