Customer Satisfaction

[Porritt, David]

Matthew:

 

If D-30 is the last plain string it must be a Baldwin SF-10 or it could
be a model R (I don't have those scales here in front of me).  In my
humble opinion it's a scale issue.  The wire changes on the long bridge
without any string length changes can and frequently do have big tonal
changes there.  The string tension is radically different between those
notes.  Some skilled voicing can sometimes partially mask the disparity
but nothing will make it go away without rescaling.  

 

dave

 

 

David M. Porritt, RPT

dporritt at smu.edu <mailto:dporritt at smu.edu> 

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Matthew Todd
Sent: Friday, July 04, 2008 5:51 AM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Customer Satisfaction

 

So, I have returned from the dreaded appointment.  It actually went
pretty fair.  I tried several things on the note she was complaining
about, but I don't really think it did much.  She actually said it
improved, but it really didn't.  But hey, if she said it did, I wasn't
going to argue with her.

The note in question is D-30.  The piano is a Baldwin grand, and the D
is the note just before the copper wound strings.  I did two things to
the note.

I spent some time voicing, and then I made sure the knuckle and jack
relationship was where it is supposed to be.  It was off some.

If you were to play a D Major scale, by the time you hit D-30, it just
doesn't quite match the previous notes.  It doesn't quite have the
"life" the others have.  It is not bad.  In fact, if she didn't point it
out to me (I wish she hadn't!) I wouldn't have noticed it when I tuned
it a month ago.  There is just a little "thud" when you play it.  Or
like the note is sounding with just a little less force and volume than
the rest.  She demonstrated the way it sounds to her by playing a Sonata
she had been practicing.  In the piece she is repeating the D, and that
is how she probably discovered it.

I know this will be difficult to diagnose over the internet, and it is
definitely not something severe that calls for another tech, but it is a
good learning experience for me, and I did tell her I wasn't going to
give up, or call her "picky" or "crazy".

Thanks!
Matthew

Michael Kurta <mkurta at roadrunner.com> wrote:

    Matthew:

    First, get a clear explanation and demonstration from the customer
as to their complaint.  Some folks have a hard time explaining so you'll
need to help them with this.  You need all the information you can get
to diagnose accurately.  Second try your best to remedy their problem.
95% of complaints are real and noticeable to the player, though there
are some which may not be correctable, and others that are imagined.  

    Failing your efforts to make them happy, call upon another, more
experienced tech to help, even if you have to pay for their time.  Chalk
it up to training as we've all had to do this once in awhile.  Sometimes
a second opinion will reinforce your solution, and the customer will be
satisfied.  

    My favorite motto is:  "The customer isn't always right, but they're
always the customer."  Good Luck and let us know how it all worked out.

    Mike Kurta, RPT

    Syracuse chapter 

    Moving to the Chicago chapter August 1.

 

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