>Under the best of circumstances you can make some money and they can be very satisfying projects but they are not get rich quick schemes so a careful examination of your motives is in order. David Love< John - I believe that David has given you plenty to think about from a strictly financial standpoint which is of course important to consider. However, there are other factors that should be considered in making this decision than just the 'bottom line.' I agree with David that you should carefully examine your motives, for there are other reasons to become involved in a project of this nature than just what you stand to make. Here are some: Experience - I don't recall from previous posts you've made which of the contemplated repairs (complete action rebuild, dampers, pin block, stringing, keytops and refinishing) you've made in the past, but if any of these repairs are new to you, you're going to get an education tackling a job like this that will be better than anything you can learn from a book or article in the Journal. You mention farming some of the jobs out. I would encourage you to do it all yourself. The more you do, the more you will learn. Confidence - An invaluable commodity. One that's hard to put a price tag on, but one that will boost your spirits, and be gold to you down the road. When you know in your heart that there is work you can do to improve the piano, and you have the experience to back it up, you'll be able to convey that confidence in your ability to your customer. A platform for future sales - Photograph everything you do with this piano. Print pictures and carry these along with you on tuning calls to show customers when the topic of possible restoration work comes up. If a picture says a thousand words, a whole album of pictures is worth its weight in gold. And last but not least - Something to talk about when your sitting in a nursing home someday other than "I wish I would have done this, or I wish I would have done that." Seriously, you want some things to count as your "glory days," so you can sit back and bask in the memory of the things that you've done, not the things that you didn't do. If you always "play it safe" you won't have much to brag about to the other geezers in the home. I'm just kidding a little here. I sadly remember my dad telling me over and over that he wished he would have "built that shop." Be a little brave, and try some new things. This is just my perspective. Not nearly as practical a viewpoint from a dollars and cents angle as David's suggestion, but more the way I would look at it. You may make a few bucks at this, you may not. You could lose money, if the market goes any further south than it already is. But like David suggested, examine your other motives. I know that in my own life, if I had always followed the practical, dollars and cents viewpoint alone, there's a whole lot of stuff that I would never have done that I'm really glad that I did. Best of luck, whatever you decide to do. Keep us posted. Chuck Behm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20100314/19168e60/attachment.htm>
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