I have a customer with a 60 year old Weaver Console, not the best piano is any circumstances and she has not shrunk form the ridiculas price of restoration. Never can tell abut "sentimental values."

Did only 5 today. Huge old Ellington upright, 3 nore Acros and a old blond oak Story and Clark console.

I must be reading Sam's postings to much. I did 7 today. First one was a Cable console, hadn't been tuned in God only knows how long, like, maybe never? I raised it 1/2 to 3/4 tone to 440. Then, tuned 1 Hamilton studio, 1 Baldwin SF, 1 Kawai RX-3, 1 RX-6, 1 Schimmel studio, 1 Kawai UST-8. Gee, what am I, nuts??? DON'T ANSWER THAT! I already know the answer!

Jerry the sanity question occurs to me too but I try to keep busy enough not to think about it! Got a weekend to rest up and hit it again next week. Will spend part of the weekend putting a set of keytops on a old Wurlitzer grand and a buddy of mine is coming over to work on my old 80 Chevy C-10. Bought it new, inline 250 6, three on tree. Steering column and shifter is messed so we'll spend a day or two drinking beer and busting knuckles.

Jeez, I must be a slacker...I only did 5 today and 4 yesterday! Did some driving, though...

2 Steinway uprights, one old, one fairly new; a Kawai RX2, and a Shigeru SK% yesterday.

Petrov 48", two Kawai K-3s, a Kawai RX2, and a Kawai 506 Studio.

Funny to look at these posts and see what we each tune. It isn't hard to see which dealers or manufacturers people have worked for/with.

Have a great weekend, all!

I don't know if who we worked for or who has been the most successful area dealers. We tune what's out there in our neighborhood.

This one should be in "the places we tune" thread, but this is what I did yesterday, or rather, where I tuned a Kawai K-6. My heart goes out to the four movers who got this thing up there. This little video only shows about 2/3 of the stairs they had to navigate outside, not to mention the indoor flight.

Sally Stanford Stairway Sausalito




True enough...but I do see lots of Baldwins in your repertoire, lots of Kawais in mine, and likewise in Jerry's.

Yeah, I could trade off a few. We had a dealer in this area that started as a drygoods store late 1890's. Sold Singer sewing machines then Singer pianos. The old boys told me they used to buy nice, new uprights for $50 a head by the railroad car full. They would pack up the Model T's and haul 6 or so to one of the little towns in the area and put them in the local piano teacher's parlor and she'd sell on commission. Family run operation. Became a Baldwin dealer in the 1940's and push a TON of them. Went out of business in the late 1990's; the 3rd generation didn't have the fire of the first 2. Had another dealer next door to the first that opened in the 1920's and the old farmers would haul their oxcarts to town and go from one to the other working a deal for a few dollars less then haul their prize into the woods. Americana at it's best. Around here a Sheguru is as "scarce as hens teeth!" That's begining to change as the world gets smaller.

Yep, I do tune a lot of Yamaha and Kawai brands. We have only had 2 dealerships here for many years now. The majority of what they sell have been Yamaha, Kawai and Schimmel.

I have a very good relationship with both dealers so I do get recommended quite a lot for servicing and tuning from the both of them. However, I am strictly independent from either dealership.

After this week, my schedule changes again so you will see a different variety of brands if I post them all. I did not post all of what I tuned last week.

I also slowed my schedule down intentionally to 3 a day starting tomorrow, 4 or 5 on other days; sometimes even only TWO!! It is a nice reprieve from last year. At least, for now!

At this point in my life, I no longer have to tune like a wild banshee every single day like I used to do. Yet, somehow, I still manage to tune around 1,000 pianos a year.

Tuned 3 more Kawai's this morning. 1 RX-3, UST-8 K-50EA

This afternoon, I installed a DC system in a Sohmer studio. HEY, a different brand!

drilled a new Steinway action rail (copy of the old one).

A first for me it takes way too long, and I had to buy little drills, and a magnifier headset.

The next one will be faster.

The pre drilled rails that we can buy are for the modern instrument, with little differnces in spacing (for some models anyway). Then the parts make a "Z" if you want them to align around the break (12 notes above and a few in the basses. Better have the good bore, on the last one I did not like having the whippens cheating in every dimension...

Made a batch of tallow and bees wax, recipe given by John Delacour) easier to use than pure beeswax (but more greasy)

Listened to music ...

Brought the piano tipper with me and dropped some super glue on the pins of a wurli spinet at a music school. Doping, tuning, and a few minor repairs took 2 hours. Tuned a nice Yamaha C-7. Last guy used an ETD and the temperament was off in a strange way. Maybe bad measuring. The pins were difficult to set- tight, flexible, and sticky. Tuned a new one at the warehouse, picked up two benches at the store, fixed an errant fall board, and got a haircut.

Did only 5 today. Kimball grand and replace a bass string, Wurly spinet, Bald grand, Walter Studio and Acro. Met my wife in town and had a "Chicago 7" Calzone at Old Chicago Pizza washed down by a tall Smithwicks and short black and tan.

I did "only" four today, but 3 of them had pitch raises, so does that count as seven...:-)? Kawai ge1a, Kawai cx5 (not my favorite kawai by a long sight), Kawai ust 12, Schafer 41 inch console. Watching Dennis the menace with wife and 9 year old son.

"Hoping" to tune tomorrow...still recovering from a nasty cold...ears plugged...WHAT?...I said my ears are plugged.

WHAT? did you say beers in the mug?

Funny, your hair looks the same in your avatar.

I tuned 5 again today. Dang glutton.

1. Tuned a Schimmel T120, raised pitch about 1/8 tone.
2. Tuned a Cable console. Not tuned since 1973. My uncle Bob tuned it last. Raised pitch 3/4 to 1 full tone to A/440. No broken strings.
3. Tuned a Story & Clark studio. Raised pitch almost 1/4 tone.
4. Tuned (oops another K word) a Kawai console. Raised pitch 1/8 tone.
5. Tuned everyone's favorite. A Kimball spinet. Raised pitch 1/8 tone. Been tuning this one yearly for 30 years. Tuned it in June when I did some action work to it thus the reason for the pitch raise.

What is it with 1/8 P.R's today anyway?

See, I really do tune other brands too!

Now I look like the avatar...it was pretty long

5 today. Baldwin spinet, SS B, Yammy G1, M&H studio and a Wurly spinet. The B was in a lakeside gated community, parquet floors, bay windows, 4 car garage, guest house, etc. 16 year old boy skipped school to see der pianna tuna. Spent lots of time explaining things, (no there IS NO such thing as a "solid brass toneboard," etc.) Kid was a hot new age/jazz pianist.

M&H owner hit a bass octave C1-2 and "see, I don't like this." (Been a year since I tuned it last.) Mid range a bit sharp but the octave itself was OK. Hmmmm. OK, says I, let's give it a tuning. Temperment comes out clean, work the 3rds and 6ths, 4ths 5th into the base, go to 10ths, min 17ths and everything looks good. F1 and below octaves are a bit wide but correct. I hit a few cords. "I love the middle," says she and I demonstrate the intervals and physics involved. She's satisfied, almost. "I'm a string player, violin and viola. I never like piano basses."

Bingo. I pull the bass octaves sharp of pure and, "yeah, that's it!" says she. Oh well....

4 today! Oh no! He did the K word again!

1. Kawai K-2
2. Did another Kawai K-2
3. Did ANOTHER Kawai UST-9
4. Ha ha! I also did a Baldwin console.

Raised pitch on all, from about 438, shimmed a key slip on the UST-9---seems to be a constant problem with these pianos with those things warping. All in all a nice day.

Making $$$ anyway.

Why is it always the last piano of the day (6pm) that is 150 cents flat??? WW Kimball circa 1990. Probably sent flat to the customer from the store with no free tuning, and the customer admits to never tuning it. Two other pianos today were 100 cents flat as well. It's always a rough day when I've never seen any of the pianos before. While searching the web for prices on an Baldwin L I'm appraising, I came to realize how low piano prices have gotten.

replaced a set of butt cord on a U1

Rebuilt my trapwork

I'd rather have it be the last one than the first one...at least you don't have to call the rest of the day's customers to explain that you'll be delayed.

First client yesterday, Samick SG 50 with disk player apparatus. Supposedly tuning and one "sticky note." Turns out to be about a dozen tight back action flanges, which I repinned after removing the sostenuto rail. Only one flange screw fell into the pan that covers the underside mechanism, but I was able to remove it quickly with a magnet. Did make me sweat for a couple of minutes, though. Didn't get around to tuning it. Made an appointment for a few weeks down the road for that one.

Then it was 3 regulars: newish Baldwin Studio, a 40+ year old Yam G2, relatively new Schulze Pollman upright.

I also adjusted an una corda stop screw on a Steinway (but was ambushed by a few funky unisons and some voicing issues...), which I will revisit this morning.

New Pramberger: glued the leather pads on the una corda trap lever that had fallen off when delivered.

And just when I thought there would be no Kawai yesterday, I went out to look for a hanging damper on a K-2, but the problem had for some reason disappeared when it heard I was coming.

About 12 hours door to door.

Had 7 scheduled but snow was getting heavy and its Friday so the last two at a little church will wait for next time. 248 Bald studio tuned up very sweetly. Wurly spinet pitch raise, Hamilton, old Bald K with a weak block and a GC1.

Yesterday was 9. Another more or less Baldwin day. Yammy G5, Acro, 5 Hamiltons, 2 Wurly spinet. 1 of the Hamiltons is in a HS and I was instructed to pick the best of 2 available. I chose the one without the mouse nest. Call me rash, but I went with my gut reaction.

I tuned a Kawai 506 (yuck)Raised 1/4 tone. (hehe, yep, another one!)
I tuned a Yammy C2 Disklavier. Raised pitch 1/2 tone. Very nice tuning piano!!!
I tuned an old Adam Schaaf upright built in 1906. Last tuned by me in 2001. Raised pitch 1/4 tone, reglued 6 ivories, replaced one missing one.
I tuned a Baldwin Acro., built in 1948. Last tuned in 1990. Raised 1/2 tone.
I tuned a Grinell console. Raised pitch 1/4 tone. Been tuning this piano for many years, tuned last summer. Had a bass string break during the pitch raise dagnabit.

Shopping and bocce schedules.

Only 2 today, as I knew the afternoon tuning would take a long time. I tuned a late '80s Kimball console this morning. Its first tuning EVER was by me 2 years ago...major, major pitch raise then, and again today...and it's still 1/4 step flat.

This afternoon, I tuned a gorgeous 7'6" (or so) 1895 Chickering grand with a PianoDisc system. Mahogany case, perfect ivories. Had to pull the really heavy keyboard and felt my back start to go "TWANG" as I was lifting the keyboard. Fortunately, that's all that happened. Adjusted a weak repetition spring and reconnected another. The wippens have straight, heavy metal flanges. It's a strange one to tune and it always takes me longer than most other pianos. It appears to have 4 separate pinblocks...one for each section...bass, tenor, treble, upper treble. Each section stays in tune with itself, but quite out of tune compared to the others.

Warm, "dreamy" tone when in tune.

4 appointments, but only one tuning:

touch up some unisons on a B, a little voicing
shape hammers and minor regulation a Mason B Symmetrigrand
Korean Knabe console...planned to tune, but too many flanges to repin, both wippen and hammer flanges, so that cost a little time, too. I hate graphite impregnated bushing cloth. One of the little buggers popped right out o' there as I very gently reamed it.
Tuned and voiced a Bohemia 125 upright. Nice piano. Kind of bright, but very full sound and a well-prepped Renner action.

1. A Henry F. Miller Aeolian spinet. The teaching studio needed another piano, and this was the winner.

2. A Hallet Davis Aeolian Spinet (more or less the same piano as the Miller but better build quality.) This one was 2 notes flat. I raised it to 45 cents flat and scheduled another tuning in 6 weeks. The customer just paid $300 for the piano. The 13 year old piano player wants to attend Julliard.

3. Yamaha GH-1 with player Raised 25 cents. The customer just bought it for only 4K.

4. Tuned a D at the University for tonight's Jazz concert.

Saturday will be a prep on another D for an International Piano Series Piano solo concert Sat night and Sunday master class. Sometime during the day I'll need to head to the store and tune 2. I'll be on hand for the concert and will probably attend Sunday's master class as well.