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Sanderson Accu-Tuner

  • 1.  Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Member
    Posted 11-07-2019 07:25
    What is going on at Sanderson?  I sent my SAT in for a battery replacement eight weeks ago.  Last time I sent it in it only took a few days turnabound.  Good thing I have iRCT on my iPhone and iPhone.

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    David Shearer Piano Service
    Chambersburg, PA USA
    M 717-860-5238
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  • 2.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 11-07-2019 10:09
    Hi David:
    Did you call them? Some time ago their factory building was damaged, but that was years ago. I can't answer your question, but I"m curious now that you mentioned it.
    Paul McCloud



    David Shearer
    What is going on at Sanderson? I sent my SAT in for a battery replacement eight weeks ago. Last time I sent it in it only took a few days turnabound. Good thing I have iRCT on my iPhone and iPhone.

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    David Shearer Piano Service
    Chambersburg, PA USA
    M 717-860-5238



    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 11-08-2019 08:42
    Can you please post an update once you find out what's going on?  A lot of us would be interested to know.  TIA.

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    Kent Burnside, RPT
    Franklin TN
    615.430.0653
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 11-08-2019 11:45
    I called them this morning at 1 800 fast 440 and they report that all is well but that they were recently swamped with repair orders and got a little bit behind.

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    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Member
    Posted 11 days ago

    I spoke with Paul Sanderson this morning and the company is alive and well however they have been dealing with supply chain problems, defective batches of batteries, employee problems, backlogs . We all have to understand this is a small family business and not a large depot operation. I had a laptop that I purchased from a big box store and even though it had a 2 year repair contact it was in and out of the repair shop constantly until it was replaced with a floor model under a "lemon law" . If you send an accutuner in for repair it could take a bit of time due to the age of the device, nature of problem, availability of parts like circuit boards, led displays, batteries. If you need the accutuner then maybe borrow one from a member of your chapter , purchase another. I was able to purchase an Accutuner IV as a backup to my SAT III pay it off using PAYPAL at $100 a month and take a section 179 deduction . Inventronics provides a valuable service to our profession, and we need to support them and not be critical in a public forum 



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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    (843) 325-4357
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 15 days ago

    Sent mine in over months ago. Emailed him again today. Paul says he is backlogged. Something about batteries. This was for a student. Went ahead and purchased a Cybertuner app for her. Don't know when my machine will be returned, if ever. :^(



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    Matthew Grossman RPT
    Fisherville KY
    (502) 553-5171
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Posted 15 days ago
    I sent one of my SAT3's in may of 2023.  They never called us once to update us.  I called them 3 months later and they never had any new information except that their technician was out of town and should have our order done the following week.  I called them several months after that and they still were having issues.  Finally 12 months after I sent it in, they called me to inform that my SAT was ready to ship back out and they needed my $400 payment, and they were unbothered by 12 month turnaround time and did not offer any apologies.
     
    Because of taking so long, I ended up switching my trainees over to tunelab. I told them I didn't even need my machine back at this point, which they replied by saying they would be able to sell mine to cover their expenses.  I do love their product, and can't think of anything better for tuning accuracy. Just a bummer really.  I still solely use my SAT4, but just don't think I'll send it in, even though I'd like to.



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    Matthew W.
    A.M.O. Pianos
    Lebanon, TN 37087
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 14 days ago

    The last time mine needed batteries I took it to Batteries & Bulbs and they did it in a day for $35.  Granted, this was years ago, but I'll bet they would still change the batteries.  



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    Mike Kurta, RPT
    N. Michigan chapter
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Posted 14 days ago

    Thanks Mike, That is awesome information!



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    Matthew W.
    A.M.O. Pianos
    Lebanon, TN 37087
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 14 days ago

    I have 3 calls into Inventronics over the past several months, and never a return call.   I was looking to get my Accutuner III serviced, plus purchase an Accutuner VI and you would think they would be happy to take my money.  I wish I understood what's going on at the company.  Always a good product and a good company to deal with in past years. Now, I'm starting to rethink what my next platform might look like.

    Any suggestions?

     

    Tom Servinsky 

    Registered Piano Technician

    Concert Artist Piano Technician

    Conductor Emeritus-Treasure Coast Youth Symphony

    Conductor Emeritus- Academy Orchestra

    Jazz Pianist for events

    Retired Clarinetist- Atlantic Classical Orchestra

    tompiano@tomservinsky.com

    772 221 1011 office

    772 260 7110 cell

     




    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Posted 13 days ago

    Tom - I'd suggest PianoMeter for you. I have several apps and they're all great in their own way, but PianoMeter is my daily driver. If you want to just get the job done it will do it. The learning curve is pretty short and it's almost a point and shoot kind of thing, but if you want to tweak things you can do that too. It has a nice over-pull function also. It's available for Android and Apple so you can have it on several devices if you want to. You can just buy it or use it with a subscription. I suppose the only down side I can think of is you'll need to plug in your device every night. But if you're used to plugging in your phone every night that shouldn't be a problem. Also, the developer is very responsive and is even open to suggestions to improve the app. 



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    "That Tuning Guy"
    Scott Kerns
    Lincoln, Nebraska
    www.thattuningguy.com
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Posted 13 days ago
    As a replacement for Sanderson I cannot recommend enough the Vogel or Jahn CTS5 https://www.organ-tools.com/en/products/special-tool/electronic-tuners/cts-5-ca-the-classic/ which is the industry standard for instrument professionals in Europe.

    If anyone's seen any of my raw at the coalface tuning videos you'll have seen it, the old model and the new model is better, in action. The nature of the display gives information which one sees in an oscilloscope trace about phase and prominent partials and it's extraordinarily controllable in terms of getting it to listen to what you want it to listen to rather than what a programmer has decided the machine should be listening to.

    Whilst writing I'm listening to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Cu8kt9cnw which by my standards, which of course might not be yours, is as perfect a tuning as I want to hear and can achieve on that instrument (OK a concert Steinway without Bechstein false notes of course is going to be better!) and this was done with the CTS5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a16PdkAUj5U is a record of the tuning of the instrument for the previous concert in just over the hour. Whilst sometimes I take excessively long over an instrument the other day I had a hideous Bord of Paris baby grand terribly untuned and which with the CTS5 I did within the allotted hour before a rehearsal and to the response "c'est magnifique!". 

    As a footnote I was going to start another thread about disquiet about using apps on phones which exploit intelligence which isn't ours nor our ears, and then the testing of a tuning against measurement in exams. The other day I was tuning a horrible upright and in listening to it there were multiple choices in the way it could be tuned with no one "right" answer. Accordingly testing a tuning of that piano against an arbitrary electronic standard in a competency exam doesn't seem on the face of it to be right.

    Whilst apps are intended to give a tuning for the piano, perhaps we should be tuning for the music and perhaps that might be audible in the Schubert recording above.

    I have no allegiance to the CTS5 manufacturer but recommend it for the results with which it assists, not only in my experience but among colleagues in Europe.

    Best wishes

    David P

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    David Pinnegar, B.Sc., A.R.C.S.
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    +44 1342 850594



    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Member
    Posted 14 days ago

    Its unfortunate there have been delays in getting repairs and batteries replaced in Sanderson Accu Tuners. The company is a small operation that has served our profession well and we need to recognize all that have done for us. I suspect a number of problems in hiring and retaining electronic technicians may be at the center of delays and slow turn arounds. During Covid my Accu-Tuner III suddenly had a seizure and was randomly flashing numbers and letters. I sent it in and had it tested, a new battery installed and blue LED display replacing the red lights. It was cleaned up and it looked new. Granted it took a few weeks I was something like #23 in line. I checked with them every other week as it steadily moved up the line.  In the interim I was able to purchase an AccuTuner IV which paid for itself. 

    I ran into a long delay trying to get replacement brass casters for a Yamaha G2 Grand. Clients pets had used the wheels as fire hydrants and they also destroyed the lyre, pedals and pedal box. It took 15 weeks to get new casters and only 2 arrived. Another 2 weeks went by before the 3rd caster arrived. Yamaha did search their warehouse and found the exact short lyre in the same finish that I needed. 

    It is not easy these days to recruit and retain dependable workers and training electronic technicians is extremely difficult when many young people have the attention spans of a fly. The shortage of trained technicians has gotten so severe that our state is giving students tuition free training in a number of tech trades such as HVAC, electricians, plumbers, computers. Most states have the same problem 

    I certainly hope Paul Sanderson can keep the company running or find a buyer if he retires. All I can say is my SAT III was over 20 years old with the original battery in it before I sent it in. Very few electronic devices make it that far and many are not repairable.  We are lucky that Al Sanderson had the ability to develop a device that has served technicians well these many years and that can be repaired. 



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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    (843) 325-4357
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    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Sanderson Accu-Tuner

    Posted 11 days ago

    Yes, well stated!  I think we all hope the best for them!  While I do apologize if my post came off negative. I wasn't necessarily trying to be critical of Paul or their operations and I do love their product, however I felt I should share my experience. Had I heard of similar experiences, I would have likely not risked sending my SAT III in and losing one of my essential tools for over one year with zero updates or any sort of credible turn around time.  Hopefully my experience helped them realize their communication skills were greatly lacking. I certainly hope them all the best! 



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    Matthew W.
    A.M.O. Pianos
    Lebanon, TN 37087
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    Original Message