Pianotech

Back to discussions
Expand all | Collapse all

NO digital repairs

  • 1.  NO digital repairs

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-16-2015 04:21

    I get about 2 or 3 calls a week asking to repair a digital piano. I guess most people do not understand that a technician who advertises piano tuning and repairs, does not repair digital pianos.

    When I get a call for digital repairs I give them the name of a couple of guys that do work on them, but it's getting to the point that it's a hassle. The guys that do this are not piano technicians.

    So I'm thinking of adding a line to my website that I DON'T REPAIR DIGITAL PIANOS". 

    Do any of you have something like that? (unless you do repair them).

    ------------------------------
    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
    ------------------------------



  • 2.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-16-2015 07:59

    Hi Wim -
    A few of these calls come in every month - digital piano and electronic organ repairs. I keep the name of a good technician handy and just pass the information along. It is a little bit of a nuisance, but not to the point that I'm considering mentioning it on my website. There are also a lot of calls looking for movers or piano teachers, etc. Of course, movers and piano teachers refer a lot of work back to me so it all evens out.


    ------------------------------
    Gerry Johnston
    Haverhill, MA
    gj@gjpianotuner.com
    www.gjpianotuner.com
    (978) 372-2250
    ------------------------------


    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-16-2015 17:30
    We have the same problem. We've referred so much business to the
    electronic instrument repair guy in town, that I would start taking on
    some of these digital repairs if my plate wasn't already overloaded
    right now.

    I've also thought about adding something to the website to indicate we
    don't fix digitals, but decided against it for a few reasons: 1. I
    know it sounds ridiculous, but there are actually people who don't know
    the difference between an acoustic piano and a digital piano. (I've
    actually shown up to a tuning to discover the piano was digital.) 2.
    The psychology of marketing dictates that when you mention the things
    that you cannot do, it sends a subconscious negative message to the
    visitor about your services. 3. If we can be helpful to someone by
    referring them, they may remember us one day if they get an acoustic
    piano, or if they are in a position to recommend a tuner to someone who
    has an acoustic piano.

    Now if only I could get the SEO marketing clowns to stop calling us. We
    get at least 5 calls a day from these bottom feeders, and no amount of
    begging will get them to stop harassing us. And our phone company won't
    provide us with a decent or effective way to block calls, so they must
    be profiting from this racket in some way. Think about it: If these
    worthless services had the SEO or internet marketing skills they claim
    to have, they would be using those skills to make tons of money for
    themselves. They wouldn't need to use robots to make thousands of phone
    calls a day to try and trick people into falling for their scams.




    On 9/16/2015 1:21 AM, Willem Blees via Piano Technicians Guild wrote:
    > Please do not forward this message due to Auto Login.
    >
    >
    > I get about 2 or 3 calls a week asking to repair a digital piano. I guess most people do not understand that a technician who advertises piano tuning and repairs, does not repair digital pianos.
    >
    >
    > When I get a call for digital repairs I give them the name of a couple of guys that do work on them, but it's getting to the point that it's a hassle. The guys that do this are not piano technicians.
    >
    >
    > So I'm thinking of adding a line to my website that I DON'T REPAIR DIGITAL PIANOS".
    >
    >
    > Do any of you have something like that? (unless you do repair them).
    >
    > ------------------------------
    > Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    > Mililani, HI 96789
    > ------------------------------
    >


    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-17-2015 01:31

    Thanks for your words of wisdom, Mark. 

    ------------------------------
    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
    ------------------------------


    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Posted 09-17-2015 18:36

    I've worked on digital keyboards since they started appearing on the market. One problem is that they have been marketed as digital pianos which they are not, they are derived from electronic organs and fit in that family of instruments. We do have that explained on our website in the FAQ. We limit our work on them as they have become as disposable as cellular phones or tablets. 

    Mark, convert your business number to cellular and start blocking those calls, works for us.

    Dale Probst, RPT 


    ------------------------------
    Dale Probst
    Registered Piano Technician
    Wichita Falls TX
    dale@wardprobst.com
    ------------------------------


    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Posted 09-17-2015 07:05

    Hi Willem,

    I presently do not have that limiter on my website. I will ask questions on what the trouble is when folks call. If it is something I think I can fix I will explain that. So If I take such work I explain ahead of time that that is not my normal field and there are no guarantees.

    One day upon finishing prepping the Steinway B in a rural High School theater that was owned by the Region's Concert Assn., I was stopped by the Schools new choir teacher and asked if I could fix a digital piano. Since I was there and had no appointments to follow I took a look at it. It was a 15 year old Suzuki that she had found in storage at the school. The Board hired her to teach choir but did not put it in her budget to provide a piano to do her job so she brought that out to try to get working. So for the next four hours while her students went to another room for class, I used all the McGiver instincts as well as piano tech skills to disassemble the keyboard to get to the root cause of a stuck key. About ready to give up and put everything back how I found it, a boy opened the classroom door and saw me holding up and studying the equivalent of a piano's keyframe, a chassis, and said "Oh good, you came to fix the middle G that is stuck so now we will be able to learn our songs" and ran off but not before I could tell him I was just a piano tuner so just small chance I could fix this. I found a broken plastic rocker arm at the base of the key. I used glue to fix it. It held up. Later I sent a bill to the District office for $100 not expecting ever to see the money. I received a check 6 months later from them after they contacted me requesting a W9.

    With that said, I think I will continue to just screen these calls rather than put limiting statements on my website or with Angies. That beat up little Suzuki that no one today can fix except for a humble piano tuner is still holding up. Lesson learned. Christmas Concert was a success.



    ------------------------------
    Kevin Magill
    Williamsburg VA
    757-220-2420
    ------------------------------


    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-17-2015 11:33

    Hi Kevin and Will,

    I used to fix these things.  I had a truck full of parts that I hoped to sell some day.  I had a separate set of tools to work on them as well.  I fixed the electronic parts at a component level.  Then came $75 keyboard toys at Kmart or where ever.  I had the argument that they only paid $75 for the thing so I should be able to fix it for $10.  NOT!!  Schools have been sold digitals with the idea that they're easier to buy, maintain, and replace than acoustic pianos.  We've seen this subject pounded on in this forum. 

    Kevin, you sold yourself short.  Calling in a keyboard technician is a minimum of $80 let's say.  4 hours would have cost the school well over $200  ....  possibly $300.  No budget?  That's not your problem.  Tell them to get one!!  The school offers a music class but doesn't have the appropriate equipment?  Bad management.  Your offer to repair the keyboard was a noble gesture considering the backdrop you had to work with.  You can't make a living helping a school short change their music staff.

    Sorry if I sound like I'm scolding.  I don't mean to.  My patience is well past toast when it comes to schools like this.

    I sold all my literature and parts for electronic keyboards about 20 years ago  .......  and I've never been sorry.

    As for dealing with the front end of things .... I have no problems telling people to call the only organ tech left in town.  "No I don't have his number". 

    As for expanding your business to cover keyboard service  ......  do you have parts making skills that out pace the lack of availability?  Manufacturers are only required to provide parts for 5 years, actually 7 but no one's forcing the issue.  There's been a few that give it up after the product line is discontinued and available parts are used up.  You spend a lot of time chasing parts, explaining basics and arguing the price charged.  I'd rather chop wood.

    Lar



    ------------------------------
    Larry Fisher
    Owner, Chief Grunt, Head Hosehead
    Vancouver WA
    360-256-2999
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Posted 09-17-2015 13:37
    One time it took a year to get a Top Octave Synthesizer from Farfisa, I had previously tried the US and Canada, also Farfisa in Italy, they all said not available.
    It was a last check a year later with Farfisa in Italy and they had one, so I assume they made another order to the chip manufacturer.
    I was glad to give up the hassle of the electronic instruments, and concentrate on pianos.
    For info on available techs, MITA used to have a list. Oh yes, that is Musical Instrument Technicians Association, if I am remembering correctly.




    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Posted 09-18-2015 07:52


    Larry,

    Thank you for your words of advice. I have put it in as an immediate action item for my business model. Currently I have a list of the best sevice companies that I know of to refer people to for the services I do not offer to the rural communities I serve. I will try to find the best digital keyboard technician I can to refer people to as well. I prefer to do this rather than put limiters on my website so that I can steer folks who call me to the best out there rather them find the ones who are not. This is a daily service of giving without the expectation of anything in return which helps strengthen my own personal relationship with a "higher force" (no intention here of offending anyone). No referral fees are sought from the service providers.

    With regard to that one rural high school's broken keyboard fix, to my surprise my business rapidly increased with new customers from that area. It seems this choir teacher is well loved. Word gets around rapidly in country towns like Heathsville Virginia of a kind piano tuner that stopped to take time out to help a beloved school teacher get her music program launched for the year.

    There is a balance that is stiked between the size of my bank accounts and service to life. We each have to find that balnce for ourselves as the opportunities present themselves.

    Again much thanks to you and Willem and everyone else for this conversation.

    Mahalo.

    ------------------------------
    Kevin Magill
    Williamsburg VA
    757-220-2420
    ------------------------------


    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-18-2015 10:40

    Kevin, you came out on top with your efforts.  It's nice when things work out that way.  It's a macro way of thinking that sometimes has it's payouts.  Congrats.

    I wanted to add that the biggest electronic component supplier in the region closed it's doors many years ago.  I watched them struggle for years and saw the trend.  My findings in the field preceded them.  Component level electronic repairs are fading fast.  So that leaves parts like springs, tabs, keys, contacts and light bulbs/leds  ....  each of them unique to the product available from the factory only.  To buy one part you have to have a minimum order.  So to get that one three dollar part, if it's available, you have to buy an additional bunch of stuff or simply pay the minimum for each part.

    At one time I had a service manual for darn near every electronic organ out there and I carried them with me.  That's a library of manuals that filled the back wall of the pickup truck I drove to carry them and all my parts.  I had to locate them forward of the rear axle to help keep the truck on the ground as I drove through cross winds on glare ice in Wyoming.  Ah yes, I was a young man then and gas was cheap.

    There was a tech out of Nebraska that was on the road for weeks at a time and traveled extensively.  KS, CO, MT, ND, SD, WY as well as NE.  Some how he managed to carry everything in a VW Diesel Rabbit or Dasher.  I remember his car squatted fairly low to the ground.  I can imagine the bookkeeping nightmare of return calls when you don't have the part  ....  and then calculating the travel time  ......  and the time zone crossings. 

    I'm happy to say that life is behind me.

    ------------------------------
    Larry Fisher
    Owner, Chief Grunt, Head Hosehead
    Vancouver WA
    360-256-2999
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Posted 09-18-2015 11:45
    I had all the organ manuals on micro-fiche and I had a portable reader.
    I think it was a Canadian Organization for the repair of organs that got most of the manuals put into that form.
    You are right, just crying the manuals with yo, especially if you had a rural clientele as I did, you needed to be prepared.
    John Ross
    Windsor, Nova Scotia




    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Posted 09-17-2015 11:49

    There's an organization of electronic instrument service technicians.  MITA stands for Music Instrument Technician Association.  MITA offers skills tests, training from manufacturers, and a parts sharing network.  The website has  a Find-A-Technician tool.  Also note, these guys travel widely, across states, sometimes staying out for a week at a time... so if there's not a guy close, service may still be available.   www.MITATechs.org

    ------------------------------
    Carolyn Macneal
    Pembroke VA
    540-626-7202
    ------------------------------


    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: NO digital repairs

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-17-2015 12:16
    Before I got into piano work, I studied electronics. I was going to be an electronic technician. I took a correspondence course which took 2 years to complete. When I had my certificate, I tried to find a job. Nobody would give me the time of day. They wanted somebody who had graduated from a brick and mortar school. So, one day while scouring the Sunday paper for a job, I found a job for a "piano technician apprentice". I drug my feet for a while, and on the insistence of my wife, went down to the local piano store. Somehow I hit it off with the boss, and I took that job.
    They also had an organ repair division in the company, and I often dreamed of helping them in their shop. Over the years working there, I began to see what an immense amount of work and trouble it was just to open up one of these keyboards, what to speak of diagnosing the problems they had. All of the parts and manuals took a huge amount of space, and what parts they often needed required them to order from the manufacturer. You couldn't just get a part number and go to your local electronic supply store. And after repairing the unit, they had to bill the manufacturer for the pittance they offered as compensation under the warrantee. I never understood how they stayed in business. Oh yeah, they were busy all right. But I began to count my blessings that I never ended working in that shop. At least I can see what's wrong in a piano, rather than try to determine the cause by using meters and playing chess in my mind. So, if you like that sort of thing, great. Give me your number and I'll keep you busy. As for me, I'll stick to pianos. They're beautiful, and simple to fix, and they still work after more than a hundred years. Try getting your Casio to last that long. (Laugh yourself silly).
    Gotta love this business.
    Paul McCloud
    San Diego


    Original Message