I don't work in the field weekends. If motivated I do shop work. Thursday was 5 plus replacing expanding action brackets on a Young Chang G157. Had to set spread, jacks, blow, letoff, drop etc. 3 of the old brackets busted as I backed the rail screws out.

Friday was 7 plus last rites on a Chickering console, 1940's with bad bass block, plastic, jacks, flanges and backchecks. Been cobbling this piano since 1985 for little old lady with occasional grandkid visit. This time too many jacks and flanges busted. Beautiful matched walnut case. Too bad. She rightly suggested if the kids want it fixed, they can do it. I agree.

Young Chang brackets. Gold is new, silver old.



Brackets superimposed.

Here's a piano Born to be Tuned. While fiddling with getting these strings rendered I thought back on my early days in the business and what a nightmare this would have been. I could see myself struggling for an hour wonder WHY these string keep slipping when the pins felt tight enough...

Estey spinet 1941 in a chuch school. Been telling them for years it would make a good boat anchor.

Wouldn't you just love to do that just once? Use a piano like that as a boat anchor?

Spent all day Saturday rejuvenating a pre-WWII Cable-Nelson Studio. 500% improvement, but wish I had done things a little differently…. It has the finest grain soundboard I've ever seen and really good scaling for its size and age. Pinblock is still very tunable. Slacking off and pounding the bass strings, along with hammer shaping, brought the tone back very well.

Spent the day beginning to revive a 1927 Chickering "F" grand (5'4", I think). CA glue treatment on tuning pins. Installed new Vagias key tops and fronts, which look outstandingly "sharp"...especially compared to the old do-it-yourself-turned-dark-yellow-and-were-peeling-off-and-couldn't-even-close-the-fallboard-without-snapping-some-off-tops. Key leveling, etc., etc. Was happy to find some decent work was done at some point in the past 30 years...new upper treble hammers, new knuckles. Was sent home with a dinner plate of pizza, meatballs and Czechoslovakian cookies!!! Delicious!

Finished gluing in a new sound board into a 1909 Steinway B.

This B has the finest mahogany veneer I have ever seen, BTW.

I will soon post a picture to begin my "Just When You Thought it Was Safe to Use the Old Board" series .... stay tuned

Did a major pitch raise on a Wurlitzer spinet.Had to do it twice.
Did some restringing on the old upright.Realized,I don't have #17 music wire.

Pitch raised and tuned a Brodmann 187 grand, repaired the glue joint on the lyre posts that go into the pedal box, lightly sanded the hammers to minimize groovage. The piano is screaming for hammer fitting....

Tuned a couple of Bohemia uprights, and a Story and Clark console for a friend.

Everybody had dogs today, which to me is very comforting.

Then I suggest you spend some time tomorrow getting your inventory under control.

Did only 4 today. Acro pitch raise, P-22 for a church, another Acro and Pramberger 6' grand. Got sunny and warm out. Almost tempted to due the sunroof.

I just re-read my post...I meant canines, not bad pianos!

Referring to my recent post on this thread regarding the new board I just glued in...

Here is a photo of the original sound board with a strait edge across the top.

Just when you thought it was safe to use the old board .... !!

I do not tune by smelling, nor do I evaluate a soundboard by looking at it, particularly with key elements removed.

Which "key" elements are removed here that you would be concerned about?

And,.... How is smelling and tuning an effective analogy. Could you elaborate?

The University has a harpichord with a board like that....the pitch drops with increased humidity. Cleaned the workshop today, drove 100 miles on the scooter, and re-pined 2 dozen tight hammer flanges. No tunings - my ears need a break.

Did 9 today. Kawai Console, Young Chang 5', Pramburger 6', U1, Acro, Kimball Con, P-22, and 2 more Acros.

Called a regular a few days ago and in a low, depressed voice, she says "My year is up. Oh... Ok, when do you want to come," like I was the freaking Grimm Reaper. I started to laugh and said, "Darlin, this a pianna tunin, not an execution!"

Sam, you are the "lean mean tuning machine" !!!

9 pianos ???? !!!

My head hurts thinking about it.

Mine too. Not to mention that it makes my back hurt just thinking about it Larry. Nice pictures by the way.

I do not want to do that many anymore so more power to ya dude! Want a few more Kimball Whitney's added to your repertoire?

I remember when I was a kid, my dad would come home from the college day after day saying 15 today, 12 today, 18 again today. I kept thinking, man, what is he nuts? Until I realized, he was so busy that he had to work that hard. Finally, he started farming work out more until he finally semi retired and turned the business over to me.

Really, think about that. Not charging me for it, he gave it to me! What a gift.

I did 5 yesterday. A Zimmerman grand, lowered that one to pitch, Wurlitzer studio, Lowered this one too, Yamaha P202, Lowered it, raised a Baldwin Acrosonic 3/8 tone to pitch, then tuned a Kawai GM-10 raising that about 1/4 tone to pitch.

Was home by 3 PM though starting at 9 with an hour lunch. Good enough for this old guy. Gone are the days of 9 +. Good job Sam! I think?

9? Dang, Sam, you can just about retire....

Yesterday I was tuning a g-1 Yamaha in a theater at a private girl's school minding my own business when an 8th grade speech class came in and began giving brief speeches about memories and people that were dear to them. Very relaxing, actually. Voice tones don't interfere with my tuning process, and half of my brain actually listened to the speeches.

The really interesting thing about this gig is that many years ago (I won't recount an exact figure here....), my first gig after I left music school was as a gardener, bus driver, and go-fer for the maintenance department of this school. Back to the past in a big way!

Spent a few minutes today at work remembering one of the special ones who left us some time ago.

Every time this comes on NPR I have to put my tools down and listen to this voice. Something about the way the intonation, the expression, the nuance……………not sure exactly what catches me……….

Virtually un-known outside of the Washington DC area, she became seriously ill and passed in 1996, age 33. Posthumously she was inducted into the Washington Music Hall of Fame.

Just like the comments state up there with Karen Dalton and Stina Nordenstam. This is pure art.Love in a note...enjoy…….

Live at the Blues Alley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSXYu-3r1S8

Oh and I managed to get the four pianos done at the private school….

Beautiful, Dan. Thanks for sending this link.

Prep'd my S&S A for the trip home.. it's almost done, just doing finishing touches.

Here's a favorite of mine

Joy Spring on Youtube

Wow, works the other way around with me and my tech. I call him up to come tune and he tells me it's only been a few months....

I love my piano so much when it's freshly tuned.

Dan, what a voice she had! Thanks for that!

I have this CD. Eva Cassidy was a treasure. She does a cover of "Fields of Gold" by Bono that will break your heart.

I was like your Dad Jerry with too many mouths to feed and only pianos to supply the money. Worked my butt off for a thriving cleintel and now I have so many relationships I work as much not to disappoint my "friends" as the money. Of course I like to blow money too so it kind of balances out. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I wasn't going 900 mph with my hari on fire.

Larry I may be a "tuning machine," but the "lean" part is an unwarrented compliment. Did 8 today, got 7 more calls on voicemail. Did a UST-7, a venerable Acro, another Acro, a Hammond console, (the house was 85 degrees and 54% RH in JANUARY. Bermed homes with wood stove. About died. Did a pitch raise). Another Acro, two Baldwin M's, and a old Steinway Console. My life is generally like this.

Wow...one of my favorite tunes done in a unique way! Brazilian Clifford Brown.

Thanks, Les. Enjoy your A!

Thanks Dave, not sure how long I can stand to have 2 grands in the house. Will be looking to sell it.

Joy Spring was a tune my recently departed teacher & freind and I were working on. He turned me on to that rendition.

I tuned two "world class" grand pianos with different brand names today. I know they were "world class" because the soundboard decal told me so! One had a much better action than the other, but they both needed a reg. Then at 9:30 pm, a string at F6 on the D broke. GRRR. I tied a loop on the other side and will replace it after tomorrow night's concert.

I went to a cioppino dinner at my club.

I looked at about the 14th "world class" 50y/o "baby grand" I've seen this year that the owners said that they wanted restored because of its sentimental value. The actual cost of restoration magically evaporated all the sentiment right on the spot!