Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum So, what did you do today?

Yesterday did some maintenance on an intermediate school Yamaha P22 (reshape hammers, vacuum interior, keys/keybed, polish/lube capstans and front/balance rail pins, remove lost motion, etc.). After that, back to the college to finish up: Baldwin Hamilton Wurlitzer console, old Steinway upright (1909), and an old Sargent grand.

I tuned the PLEYEL grand piano the day before yesterday. 88c was a stick.
I wanted to exchange a center pin, but there was no time. It was treated with CLP oil with that.

PLEYEL

I did a careful Tunelab overpull to raise a Steinway D from 440 to 442. I started on the bass, and pulled up the unisons up as I went. It took about 45 minutes. The result was so accurate, my subsequent aural concert tuning was a breeze. Nice job Tunelab!

Yesterday I was feeling awful, but had to drag myself to tune for the show. Today I was much better. I had invited a couple of pianists to my club for the big band dinner dance, and we had a good time. There was a special presentation for one of the members who had fought in WW2. Previously, members of the club had gotten him a replacement Purple Heart for the one that he had left on the grave of one of his buddies. Tonight he was inducted as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the French Console General of San Francisco. One of my guests was greatly moved, as her brother had died in the war.

Very nice BDB. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome! Tell us more about your club BDB! Sounds terrific!

One of the interesting things about the award recipient is that he was drafted, and went into the 82nd Airborne with his buddies, even though he would not have been eligible, because they had a minimum height limit of 5' 6", and he is 5' 2". In order to get through the obstacle course, his buddies would throw him over the barriers. The commander saw that, and made sure that he stayed with them. He received two Bronze Stars for bravery. A little man with a big heart!

All of this was arranged by members of the club. That is why I am a member. It is a shame that so many social clubs are dying these days. There is much to be gained from belonging to one. Not to mention that we have dinner dances regularly, so we employ musicians!

Hi, I'm a new poster... but an old tuner. One recent post asked if you have ever had a police escort.... nope, but once in my early days of tuning, back in '74-'75, tuned for a lady who asked me to tune while she was at work and the house was empty. Neighbor saw me go in unlocked back door with a tool box. Well into temperament, the cops kicked in the front door and held me at gunpoint insisting I was robbing the joint... while sitting at piano tuning?? New MO, I guess. finally got them to call lady, she staightened it out, and they were going to leave without telling her about the door they had kicked in. Almost quit tuning that day, and definitely needed a change of clothes.
Love this thread, keep it going, will join in as well.

I tuned a Steinway D for an all-Chopin recital by Janne Mertanen., using a slightly tweaked EBVT III.

He absolutely loved it! And so did I - the different keys really came to life in a most convincing way. Most of them where remote, too (The pieces where in B minor, Eb major, B major, C# minor, Db major and F# major.)

palning down the shims in a scheidemeyer soundboard, and bought a bechstien upricht back to the workshop to recondition, needs new strings and mahogany veneer replacing on one side

It's not so much what I'm going to do TODAY, as what I'm going to do TONIGHT after dinner. I'm going to eat the big slice of peanut butter pie given to me by my first tuning customer this morning. Right now I'm home for lunch, and that pie will be my incentive while tuning at a school after school this afternoon - 1. Lester studio (knee board missing, one front leg missing, sits next to a hot air blower, sounds like the soundtrack to a horror movie). 2. Baldwin Hamilton (very stable instrument...while all the others in this school go completely haywire). 3. Winter spinet (in a band room practice room, recently donated...I'm told it's extremely flat...maybe never been tuned...not sure why the school took it)

Mmmmmm, peanut butter pie.

I went to customer's home in Kawanishi City in japan .

of note, tuned a piano set in "commons" area at college, which means dining room. Challenging! I was offered lunch, but settled for 2 cookies. YUM

Mmmmm……. first pie then a little drive around Japan and now cookies…..I’m hungry let’s eat...

Tuned 5 pianos in a church this morning. Arrived at 9 AM, done by noon. Lunch time. Drove to my college after that and did a concert tuning after which, I had to dismantle a pedal lyre on one of the Steinway D's to figure out where a squeaking noise was coming from along with other erroneous noises. After 2 hours of fooling around with it, completely removing the pedals etc., replacing rubber grommets and a bushing, tightening screws, aligning pedals and much more, I put it back together to again and what do you know, it worked!

First a 135 cent pitch raise on a Kimball console. After that, a Yamaha P22 at a school, followed by a church Baldwin Hamilton, another church Baldwin L, and finally another Hamilton at still another church! Holy piano technician, Batman!

Every time I read your "day stories" I have to think of these old slapstick movies from the 30ies which they now usually replay at current frame rates so everything moves really fast.

Kees

Five tunings in three hours? Wow...36 minutes/tuning. I can go pretty fast, but I couldn't do an accurate tuning in 36 minutes. Way to go!

shovelled snow…yes you read that right.. snow in Vancouver this morning…… 5-6 inches…. This is not the way it is supposed to go….all the snow should be at Jerry’s place……

Headed to the college and tuned 4, a M&H Bb grand for student recitals this weekend, a M&H upright, an new Yamaha upright, and an Everett upright. Got there about 9:30, and was done by 1. Had my daughter and a new apprentice with me, so spent some time teaching as well as tuning. The M&H grand is in serious need of a rebuild, pinblock is awful and we have patched and doped and changed pins, but the end is near. BUT, of course the money holders for the college have yet to be convinced of the need. They have been gracious enough in the last year and a half to cut a check for 3 new Yamahas (uprights) for the classrooms, so maybe we can talk turkey (sorry, tis the season) and get them to allow a rebuild. The M&H upright is a pill to tune at first, because the treble end is harder to get into balance until you know the tricks. SOOOO, I put my daughter on that (she hates it, but needs the experience) and she did quite well. She is a good little tuner and her pianos sound so sweet when she is done. She is slow yet, but that comes in time. She envies my 45 min average tuning, but I remember when I was where she is and can so sympathize. The new apprentice, Jim, is a neat guy, and has STUDIED this stuff like no one I have met before. I am impressed. He will make a very fine tuner when his skills match his studying, and that won't be too far away. Took them all out for lunch afterwards. Gotta love apprentices!!