You know, it all depends on the client, piano and location. By location, I mean, what state we reside in.humidity fluctuations. Here, I can tune a piano today and by next month (or sooner) it is already flat, or sharp, but it is changing already because of the continual variations of temperature and humidity. Today, the RH was 48 %. Last week when it was sweltering hot, it was right around 80%. Tuning yearly, which I do like, I find them on pitch and close to being in tune but if it is a piano that is used often then obviously, we need to tune it more often. I like to say that " Michigan is a great place to live if you're a piano tuner. The weather changes so often that you're screwed no matter what. Today it'll rain, tomorrow we need the heat turned on, the next day, the A/C.." Basically, I like at least a yearly tuning to keep screws tight, hammers spaced and to catch other piddly crap before it turns into more serious piddly crap. Jer From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of William Monroe Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 10:08 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] repeat business Sure, I was referring more to the clients that tune every 2 or 3 or ...... years. Even so, you make a good point - without stable humidity levels, achieving tuning stability is a wild goose chase. Which I suppose makes the point even more so, that a lack of auto maintenance can be damaging to the auto, while a lack of piano maintenance is in most cases not. William R. Monroe On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 8:13 PM, Ryan Sowers <tunerryan at gmail.com> wrote: I really question this. When I first got started, I gave clients a discount if they scheduled in six months. But after a couple of years I ditched this idea because I found that the pianos I saw in six months almost invariable required a lot more tuning than the ones I saw in a year. I was making less money for more work! So I doubt that tuning the piano twice a year makes it more stable. At least in my climate. Ryan On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 2:54 PM, William Monroe <bill at a440piano.net> wrote: And, your piano won't self destruct if you skip a tuning or two. Less stable, sure, but damage? Car analogies only go so far............. William R. Monroe On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 4:38 PM, Tom Rhea, Jr. <rheapiano at cox.net> wrote: Well said, Todd, but unfortunately our most people don't use their piano to go to the grocery store, take the kids to school, go to work or vacation. It just sort of sits there and doesn't appear to do anything constructive until we sit down at the keyboard. Until a piano starts to have - in the mind of the client - the same utility as the family car, periodic maintenance will always take a back seat. Tom Rhea, Jr. Piano Technician Rhea Piano Service (757) 373-0284 _____ From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Matthew Todd Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 5:14 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] repeat business Susan, I was just trying to remember the last time I took my car in for an oil change and the mechanic said it looked fine and not to bother at this time...... TODD PIANO WORKS Matthew Todd, Piano Technician (979) 248-9578 http://www.toddpianoworks.com <http://www.toddpianoworks.com/> -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20100823/f702f169/attachment.htm>
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC