-Long Post-
Haha, David. No, it didn't put me behind at all. I'm still in the experimental stages of the full service idea. What I'm doing now is to offer different chunks of time, the first level being what a basic tuning appointment takes, with only things like removing the pencils, complementary dusting, etc. 1.5 hours.
That appointment the client had requested a 4.5 hour appointment (on their own, they self scheduled it with no personal contact from me). So, I had time to address a lot of things, each one of which I cleared with the client first. She complained that the keys felt empty; one look revealed about 3/8" of lost motion. Restoring that gap solved the problem, restored a lot of things to where they should have been, and no, I didn't charge extra, because I had time left in the appointment (remember, she paid for 4.5 hours of my time).
Broken items depend on the situation. If I break a string though negligence, then I'll replace it for free. I only did this once; after that I learned my lesson, paid better attention, and haven't done it again.
Before pitch raising, I'll explain to the client that I'll be putting several tons of tension back on the piano, and that the increased tension might cause strings to break. And if there's rust involved.... I take every precaution I can to prevent it, but sometimes it happens. Am I responsible for strings that beak in those situations? No. It's something that would have happened to anyone.
As far as charging for it, IF I have time left in their appointment (remember, they're paying for my time), and I have the necessary materials with me, then I'll include the labor with the appointment and only charge for materials. Otherwise they pay for both parts of the job.
From what I understand of it, Full Service doesn't mean doing things for free. (It's Full Service, not Free Service, after all.) It means charging for time instead of per job. From my understanding this means setting the basic price high enough to include as much extra time as you want to offer. Then fill in that extra time doing things that will make the piano play or sound better (touch up regulation or voicing), as well as a tuning.
I did forget to mention the name of the piano, didn't I? It was an Everett Old Upright from 1895. It needs a lot of work, but that appointment allowed me to bring it back to usable condition. And yes, we talked about putting money into this one vs. into a new(er) piano before the appointment, and the owners just love this one and wanted "to get it back on it's feet."
Notes on what it needs? Sure. But what I'll do next time depends on how long an appointment they want. If they want a 2.5 hour appointment, I'll probably tune it and shape the hammers. If they want another long appointment, I might do those things and then replace bridle straps too. If they want only my basic service call, then I'll only tune it and do things like removing the pencils that'll fall in.
Again, it's not about giving away one's time. It's about selling time chunks vs. selling it per job. The idea is one isn't supposed to lose money; one's supposed to actually make more money because of bringing in the same amount per day but having less expenses per day due to having to drive to less appointments.
I.e., if your basic tuning call is $150, and you tune 4 a day, then you make $600 / day. But if you charge $200 for a full service call, and only do 3 a day, then you still make $600 a day and with less operating costs. [DISCLAIMER: I don't claim that this is what you should charge or am trying to price set. I picked these numbers for this example because they're easy to work with.]
It seems promising to me, but I started the other thread to get real life feedback from others who went down this route.
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Benjamin Sanchez
Professional Piano Services
(805)315-8050
www.professional-piano-services.comBenPianoPro@comcast.net------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 07-05-2018 06:53
From: David Skolnik
Subject: Adjusting Hexagonal Capstans
That must have put your whole day's schedule in the toilet.
On the other hand, nothing broke (as in, you didn't break anything) in the process. Older pianos can have a real comic sense when it comes to doing things quickly. Which raises the question: If something breaks in the course of your normal tuning, do you fix it there? and charge for it? Does your policy on broken strings distinguish between AOG and distractedly being on the wrong pin? More to your example, you were scrambling to complete what YOU consider a regular part of your Full Service approach. Did the client ask, or were they informed that you would be doing this work? Are they ever? If something HAD broken during this process, would it then be YOUR responsibility to include the repair as complementary?
Pictures are always appreciated, but even a name (not yours, the piano) would help the discussion. If it's out there, someone has seen it. Meanwhile, do you have notes as to what extra things you would do, the next time you service this piano?
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David Skolnik [RPT]
Hastings-on-Hudson NY
914-231-7565
Original Message:
Sent: 07-04-2018 23:59
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: Adjusting Hexagonal Capstans
Hello all,
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll defint put at least one of the wrenches you mentioned on my next order.
I came across an old upright yesterday that had let off buttons in place of capstans! That made adjustment longer than usual - about 17 minutes. Mostly because my let off tool kept getting stuck on them. What's even stranger was the fact that the let off button style capstans contacted what looked like grand knuckles attached to the keys.
I wish I had taken a picture, but forgot. Maybe next time I service that piano....
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Benjamin Sanchez
Professional Piano Services
(805)315-8050
www.professional-piano-services.com
BenPianoPro@comcast.net
Original Message:
Sent: 07-03-2018 10:52
From: James Kelly
Subject: Adjusting Hexagonal Capstans
schaff has several angled capstan adjusters such as #3112 with a double bend; angled 84c with 3/16 opening; 84 d with 1/8 opening
on page 55 the r-23 japanese tool works well
you may have to file some of the openings but this assortment should have the solution.
also pay attention to other things like the blow distance, wear on the hammer rest rail cloth and things ed sutton mentioned the capstans may not need any adjustment. there could be divots in the felt that the capstan contacts
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James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
Original Message:
Sent: 07-03-2018 08:42
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Adjusting Hexagonal Capstans
Benjamin - Simply get a wrench that fits the capstan. Many are available from suppliers. I think I have one or two that I have taken a file to for a perfect fit. Yes, if I want to only adjust a few capstans and the fallboard key hold-down rail is in the way, it can be difficult. I do find that if a few capstans are so far off that I feel the need to adjust them, many more certainly could use some adjustment. I most often lean toward simply scheduling that work - either separately, that day if I have time, or for the next tuning appointment. And if it makes it a lot easier, sure, I will remove whatever is in the way. That's just the way the cookie crumbles. Oh, and yes, I have run into some that are so cumbersome that I do find it easier to remove the key and adjust with a proper fitting wrench. Seems unfair, but heck, it's a piano!
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Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
Original Message:
Sent: 07-02-2018 18:11
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: Adjusting Hexagonal Capstans
Hello all,
As part of my move toward full service, I've been trying to adjust out lost motion on the uprights in my care. However, dealing with the hexagonal style capstans takes WAY too long! I've been having to only do the worst ones and leave the rest, while being able to do a whole set of the grand style capstans in the same amount of time!
It's very frustrating. Is there something I'm missing with how to adjust these things? A different tool or technique? I don't exactly want to spend the rest of my career taking off the pull-out fallboard (mostly in consoles), removing the entire key, twisting the capstans with my fingers (because the capstan wrench won't work), and putting back the key, etc....
Any ideas?
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Benjamin Sanchez
Professional Piano Services
(805)315-8050
www.professional-piano-services.com
BenPianoPro@comcast.net
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