[pianotech] OT: To show how far these "things" have come .....

[David Stocker]

Duaine,

I imagine it feels natural for someone coming from an electronic background 
to place digital keyboards and pianos into the same, or related category. I 
have known organ techs who dabbled in piano work, some passably. To most of 
us, the only commonality between keyboards and pianos is they are both 
played with keys. Even if it has a "Hammer Action" (and I doubt the keyboard 
in the listing has any hammers) it is still a series of glorified on/off 
switches.

I am just not interested in working on them. If people ask, I say, "Nope, 
strictly organic." And we laugh.

I suppose it feels like comparing a fine violin maker with the guy who fixes 
electric guitars at the cheap local music shop. Even if some of the 
principles are the same, the violin maker is not going to go there.  The 
violin maker charges rates that are an order of magnitude greater than the 
guitar guy. Guitar guy is an important person, valuable, but would never 
pretend to be a violin maker.

The keyboard guy works on the bench next to the guitar guy. And often, the 
keyboard repairs cost more than a new keyboard. People don't get sentimental 
about a keyboard like they do for a piano. (Insert sound of keyboard hitting 
the inside of the dumpster.)

I've been living, eating, breathing pianos sixty to eighty hours a week for 
nearly thirty years now. It's been a great living, and I still feel like I'm 
just starting to understand something. In other words, there is more 
knowledge available now than ever before. I'm having fun with it.

So, why on earth would I spend thousands on diagnostic equipment, training, 
parts, etc., for working on something completely unrelated to pianos only to 
charge less than what I make on pianos? Taking away time from piano business 
I already have?

I can only imagine it if I wanted a complete career change, not just added 
business. No, thank you. I'll let keyboard guy do it.

If you want to "get it" you need to hang out with people who do. Join up, 
man!

David Stocker, RPT
Tumwater, WA

-----Original Message----- 
From: Duaine Hechler
Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 12:08
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] OT: To show how far these "things" have come .....

On 10/04/2011 12:38 PM, John Ross wrote:
> Duaine, are you an agent for ebay?

Nope, just happened to be searching for antique piano service manuals and 
such for my collection and stumbled onto this.
> Why do you post things like this?

Possibly, to show that these "things" are here to stay and that - maybe - 
persons will start to add these to their
service list to keep busy.
> John Ross
> Windsor, Nova Scotia
> On 04-10-2011, at 10:01 AM, Duaine Hechler wrote:
>
>> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kurzweil-PC3LE8-88-Key-Hammer-Action-Performance-Kurzweil-grand-piano-/270828104724?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0e9cec14 
>> <http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kurzweil-PC3LE8-88-Key-Hammer-Action-Performance-Kurzweil-grand-piano-/270828104724?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0e9cec14>