[pianotech] frustrated

[Paul McCloud]

Years ago, I had a particular model piano that took me at least 3 hours or more to tune.  In an email to this list, I asked the same question and mentioned the brand.  It was a Friday.  On Monday, I was called into the office.  My boss told me, "You are the stupidest MF'er that ever walked the earth.  I can't believe that you said that about the piano.  The manufacturer called this morning and is asking why you said the pianos were untunable.  You're the head tech here, and these pianos are our bread and butter.  All of the competitors will use your statement to prove that their pianos are untunable.  They could sue you for everything you're worth."  I had to get on the phone and grovel to the company president.  All I was trying to do was vent a little and ask if there was something that I could do to make it tunable.  Somehow, my email got turned into a rage against this piano and the manufacturer, when it was nothing of the sort. 

Despite my best efforts, there was a section of this particular model piano that would not stay where I put it, right around A4.  I thought it may be a pinblock problem, so I put shims on the pinblock/flange space.  No cigar.  I never did understand why this would happen on this particular model, and not on other models of this brand.  I suspect that the steep angle of the strings to the agraffes had something to do with it.  I also found that normal pitch raising protocol would not work well, and the result was that it stayed sharp and had to be pitch-lowered.  There were several other brands made in this factory, and they also shared the same tendencies, though not as severe.  The words "Dong" and "Bay" come to mind.  Now that a certain American manufacturer has purchased the factory, I don't know whether any of these brands and designs are still being made.  Maybe the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Sorry I couldn't come up with an answer.  Some Kawxx's I've tuned seem a bit hard to stabilize, but I usually try to put some Protek on the underfelt to help the rendering.  Speaking of rendering, I sort of wish some of those nasty pianos would be sent to the rendering plant to make glue.  If they were horses... oh, never mind..

Good luck.

Paul McXxxx
Somewhere in San Diego

PS. No pianos were harmed in the making of this email.  
MEMBER PETP (Pianotuners for the Ethical Treatment of Pianos)


----- Original Message -----
From: "Leslie Bartlett" <l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 7:05:52 AM
Subject: [pianotech] frustrated




Do any besides me have pianos which take 4-5 hours to tune, and if so how do you bill for them. I have some Chickerings which take me that long, and I have a Kawai KG2 (which I’m tuning for a serious concert) which I simply can’t get stable. Not that I get it set and then a whole section will go out, but I just can’t get it to go and stay where it should. I don’t know what to do in those instances. After all I’m hired to tune the piano, but spending that long is quite counterproductive to income. I have a customer on whom I spend more than average time but I love the piano and her as a unique musician. She’s a professional accompanist. I measured a “pitch raise” after a six month passage of time, and was an average of 1.1 cents off- so I can tune. But there are a few which just drive me nuts. Any ideas for sanity in these instances? 

Thanks 

Les Bartlett