[pianotech] Simple repair - so why not done?

[Ron Nossaman]

David Boyce wrote:
  > Made me wonder, if several different  tuners couldn't 
tackle a very easy
> problem, what's to be said about the general standard of 
> tuner/technicians to be found in the UK these days?

You don't have the Troll market cornered there, by any means. 
It happens here, very commonly, too. Many years ago, I was 
grunching about the house ranting about stufh and thangs in 
general, and my dad asked me what the problem was. I asked him 
"Why is it that 80% of the people in ANY profession are 
utterly and demonstrably incompetent at what they profess to 
do?" "Oh no, that's not right", he said, " It's well over 
90%".  Parsing and processing through the intervening years, 
I've come to the attitude that Dad and Sam Clements were 
right; There are two kinds of people. There are cynics, and 
there are those that just aren't paying attention. I've tried 
since, not altogether successfully, to function on the high 
side of the line as I'm able. Annoying failures 
notwithstanding, I continue to try to approach what I do from 
this direction.

I set up a piano today after a move. A Steinway O, as it 
turned out. Original action, with just hammers replaced. New 
keytops and fronts, not filed to fit the keys. New strings, 
with nothing done to the splitting bridges. Original 
soundboard negatively crowned in killer octave, with no 
discernible positive bearing. Original block with 6/0 pins, 
and as sloppy a set of coils as you could have hoped for if 
you'd paid a huge price for a bad example by contract. The 
case looked to have been dipped in something thick and shiny, 
for the categorical edification of visual aesthetics for the 
casually ignorant. In other words, completely restored, and in 
prime condition. A sterling example, by and large, of what I 
tend to see here.

So don't despair that the quality of local talent is so lame, 
but rather that you've underestimated the scope of the problem 
and, if you're human, are likely an occasional unwilling 
contributor yourself. If it were different, I'd be standing in 
the other line.

Ron N