Pianotech

What technician case do you use and/or recommend? What do you think of the new soft Genck cases?

I have an old Genck case but it's a little beat up. Maybe I need a new one. I put everything in it; tuning tools, regulating tools, some repair stuff, micrometer, pinning tools, etc. etc. etc.

I'm not a fan of carrying a bunch of stuff in one case. It's too heavy and most of the time most of the stuff is not needed. I followed Isaac Sadigursky's advice from years ago: organize into micro-kits. That means pinning stuff goes into one small bag, hammer shank repair into another small bag, etc. Then all those small bags can go into a larger bag and stay in the car. My bags have different colors and I've written on the outside what is inside them to make it easy to locate stuff. 

For all service appointments, I carry a fairly generic portfolio type bag that is designed to hold a laptop. It holds all my tuning stuff, flashlight, a couple of small adjustable wrenches, a screwdriver (multiple tips), and all the paper things: billing pads, brochures, etc.

For other more involved service, my other tools are in a larger bag. It was sold by Duluth Trading Company, but they no longer sell them. I forget the name of it, but it is pretty much awesome. Holds just about everything needed to do service work. My stringing stuff is in a an ammo box, though. 

Organizing and working this way sure beats carrying around 50+pounds of things that aren't used every time. My body appreciates it! ;-)

Good luck on finding a suitable case, and I'd highly recommend micro-kitting.

I carry around an old Genck case stuffed to the gills and it weighs about 30 lbs. -- heavy, about like an old Selectric typewriter.  It's true that a lot of stuff is never used at most appointments, but I hate having to put my shoes and coat back on to go out to the car to get more tools or parts, especially in winter with snow and ice on the ground, and sometimes in summer when it's raining, or if it's an apartment building and you have to go up and down stairs or take elevators, or if the street was all parked-up and you had to park a block away.   Now, if you work only on nice, newer pianos that have everything intact and are not likely to have anything break on you, you can get away with carrying a smaller kit with just the basics.  But that's rare.  I've read that we shouldn't carry around kits that weigh more than 15 lbs. but I know young moms who regularly schlep around toddlers who weigh much more than that!

--David Nereson, RPT 

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Chicago-Case-Company-XLST61

I have this case and would order it again when needed.

I agree about having smaller bags or cases for particular tasks. Some of these live in the trunk, but my main kit carries enough to deal with an awful lot of things which come up in normal service.

It's a trade-off, how much to carry into the house. On the one hand, a kit which keeps getting more and more in it gets awfully heavy; on the other hand, the more that is in it, the fewer trips back to the car one needs to make. I tried to lighten the load for awhile by going with a soft laptop case, but I kept having to make trips to the car, and it got awfully stretched and bulging.

I've bought big kits of various types different places over the years. One of the best was just a big very tough shoulder bag made of thick plastic which I bought at K-mart in 1980. It lasted through anything, including years and years in the very hot or pretty cold car. I still have it, though the main flap is starting to crack and I've replaced the strap.

Lately I've been going to Staples and looking at the various briefcases and suitcases they offer. My latest main kit is a salesman's sample case It has a large variety of zipper sections, mostly with two zips, one at each end, a retractable shoulder strap and two little handles. The retractable shoulder strap is handy for holding a damp cleaning towel so it won't wet anything inside. Because is has so many sections, I make a kind of code by putting the two zips at different places for different sections, so I can tell at a glance which is which.

As for having to carry it, I now keep this handy dandy folding cart in the car. It holds a ton, and I walk a lot faster when I use it. I can hang my folding action cart from the handles. It's not good on stairs, but aside from that, I wish I'd had it years and years ago. As well as carrying all the weight for me, it reduces multiple trips and my hands are free. This showed up on the secluded ladies' list last year, but instead of groceries like on Amazon, the photo showed a kit, a purse, a box of other tools, and a Kawai grand lyre lying on top, and mention also was made of hanging the folded action cart from the handles. I instantly shouted, "I'VE GOT TO HAVE ONE!"

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LPFUG8/ref=sr_rp_1?m=A2V4DA5VURFI4A&ie=UTF8&qid=1456455182&sr=sr-1&keywords=shopping+cart

Don't leave home without it. It's very light weight, holds a lot, and has a cover with velcro for rainy days. When I wear it out I'll get another. I just fold it and toss it into the back seat.

I am a glutton for punishment; my Kennedy kit weighs 37 lbs and I use it for exercise!

I prefer to have everything I frequently use at hand with minimal trips out to my car, though I try to "edit" it often.

I have smaller tuning kits and take them on long trips but I like an entire portable shop with me whenever possible.

Ellis 83-7009

I have the hard side Genck case for the tuning and service tools I use most. I have the cloth cover that has saved the case from getting wet and cut up and some paperwork can be put in the side pouches.

For specific tasks such as re-stringing I have small hard cases some purchased from Pianotek and others from Harbor Freight tools.  I have also purchased several plastic ammo style boxes to hold pliers, screw drivers , wrenches , testing instruments , lubricants and cleaners. One is orange and holds my CA glues, accelerator, protek etc

If I need lots of things I use a very rugged folding cart to avoid trips back and forth . I have specific kits for Dampp Chaser service, player system service etc as well as clear cases for parts

What I call my "go bag" (I can grab it and run out the door on a moment's notice, and have everything I'd need for most tuning and service calls) is a backpack-style tool case from ToolPak (http://www.toolpak.com/html/PACKStoolpakoriginal.html). It is a bit heavy, but the shoulder straps are very comfortable and being able to get the weight up on my back makes it seem a lot less heavy than it is.

Most everything else is contained in small, labeled, Rubbermaid-type storage bins.

I got a beautician's traveling case from TZ Case.  It's sectional, comes with internal, configurable dividers, and has a pullman feature for the lowest portion. The smallest top section has my most-frequently used tools, so if I'm just running into a house to tune, I detach it for the lightest package.  If I need to go to downtown Boston and my destination is some distance from where I park, I take the whole thing and roll it like luggage.

I use this aluminum briefcase that I got for about $20 at the Harbor Freight. 

18 in. x 6 in. x 13 in. Silver Aluminum Case

It carries everything I need for most appointments (tuning tools, pliers/nippers, repinning tools, punchings, glues, liquids, assortment of screws, knobs & hardware, and a big role of regulating tools). I have two similar briefcases that pretty much live in the car permanently: one "stringing" kit with everything I need for stringing, plus a drill; and a "parts" kit stuffed full of action parts, kits for ivory, hammers shanks & flanges replacement, clamps, etc. 

They're cheap, but they do the job. I still have the 1st one that I bought about 8 years ago, but it's been downgraded to be the "parts" kit. 

I recently, finally, broke down to smaller kits after 40 years of lugging a ton of tools into every job. As I'm now doing about half my work on performance pianos that are unlikely to require more than just tuning on most visits, I have a small kit in a 13" laptop bag. Even still, not wanting to be caught unprepared, I include a tool roll that fits flat on one side of the interior baffle and a zippered pouch that holds pliers etc. that fits on the other side meant to hold the laptop, I also have tiny vials of carpenter's glue and protek as if I need to use either of those it will most likely be just be a drop or two. The pliers as well are a bit smaller than I have in my regular kit. It also holds my iPod/etd, hammer, mutes, etc. This kit weighs 5 pounds and I'm prepared for pretty much anything I might run into on a piano that I know to be in good operating condition.

I got the high quality Case Logic 16" case ($50) for my bigger kit and again used nylon zippered pouches to hold my regulating tools, pliers, liquids, etc. It holds 4 zippered cases, one is a nylon bag that held cassettes, I removed the plastic cassette rack and inserted a plastic tray intended to hold silver ware. This case has one moveable divider that is held in with velcro and fits on one end where I put screwdrivers and other tools I use frequently. This set up weighs about 10 lbs. 

I eliminated a fair amount of misc. hardware that had accumulated in my kit and also put the stringing tools in a separate kit that now stays in my car with the strings. I have to go out to my car for strings anyway so why carry those tools all the time? The two kits combined weigh less than half of what I'd been schlepping around. 

The jury's still out on the zippered pouch idea as I have to open them up to get to the tools, not quite as accessible as tool pallets are but everything is quite secure when I'm carrying it around. I spent a fair amount less than I would have on a Genk or Jensen tool case and I couldn't really find the exact configuration of those that I wanted, almost all of them are bigger than the 16" briefcase I ended up with. Also I don't like the baggy exterior pouches those bags tend to have. Jensen also sells the tool pallets separately for about $28 each so that is another way to go. But again, I couldn't find just the right configuration I liked. The small 13" bag is a little tight, 14" would probably have been better. 

Here's a good place to start for the Jensen bags/pallets, they sell empty bags that will hold the pallets as well: http://www.jensentools.com/jensen-tools-g1765jtr1-pallet-9-empty-15-x-10-75/p/216-751

While this has cost me less than the cost of a new "professional" kit, I did spend a ton of time on Ebay tracking stuff down. Two of the zippered pouches are beauticians scissor cases that cost a few dollars each and one is actually a starter tuning kit from China I basically just bought for the pouch. The tools aren't worth spit but the pouch is excellent and will last a long time. I also bought a kit of watch maker tools just for the pouch, I expect I will use some of those tools for non piano projects, that was $14 and again the pouch is excellent. I also have separate kits for flange and hammer work. 

large kit

Ditto to those emphasizing the downsizing of the tool case concept. I too have evolved to a much smaller setup and couldn't be happier. After seeing how Eric Schandell and Kent Webb, as well the other Steinway concert techs, created their own versions of a very lightweight and durable tool bag to be lugged around NYC, I was inspired to ditch my big Genc case and rethink my needs.

I ended up with a Cannon Camera bag with velcro sleeves  ( $60 Best Buy), allowing for a very flexible set up. Add a few good cosmetic make-up zip bags, and all the regulating and voicing needs are kept in a nice contained setup.  

I still find that my bag creeps up in weight as I end up adding a few tools here and there. But each month I try to do annual review of what I absolutely need. What tools haven't been needed in the last month get returned to my  main case ,which stays in the car.

I use the Genck Grand Master case for about 6 years now.  In the front pocket are my Bag O' Mutes and the pipe cleaners are for holding the four piece spinet rod against the action.

In the middle section are my regulation tools, receipt book, some music to play when done (easy piano thank you!) and water.

The main section has all my tuning gear and most popular tools (like an adjustable spanner to tighten up those bench bolts).  That bar towel is something I picked up whilst living in England and use it to lay my tools on instead of on the piano directly.  All up, the case weighs 23 lbs.

I also carry two other items in with me, this bag that has my "indoor" moccasins, cleaning products and a towel to place over the lid of an upright so the lid does on rest directly on the wall.  By the way, I found out what happens when you wash red towels with white ones.  Lovely shade of pink, eh?

I also bring in this automobile vacuum.  Don't know the number of times removing the bottom panel of an upright hearing the owner say, "The other tuner never did that".  Happiness is a clean piano!

Some technicians carry a bag the size of shaving kit which I think is super.  Others have commented they don't like going back to the car and that is where I fit in.  I usually have what I need to repair that sticky key but do charge extra to mend broken hearts.

That doesn't mean I carry everything into the home.  When preparing for my RPT, I created boxes or bags to hold what I needed for string repair, repining, hammer shanks and so on.  Another bag has loose parts like flanges, springs, spinet elbows. Another for glues and lubricants and still another for screws and case parts and even a few more bags running around.

This is the back of the SUV and I made a wooden shelf where I can put a full grand action underneath, protects the action quite well.  On top you see the suitcase that contains the vacuum and behind it is the Leroy Edwards grand action caddy.  The piano tilter laying on top of the boxes is normally not there, I was needing it this afternoon.