Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Jack spring repair

Looked at a Kimball upright with what appears to be a malfunctioning jack spring on A#5. Reblitz says to remove action, then whippen, then glue in new spring. However the spring doesn't appear to be broken. Is there something else it could be?

Also, I should fix this before tuning it, right?
Thanks,
John

It could be a tight jack center, if it's not the spring. BUT...take a careful look at the spring. Sometimes they don't look broken, but they are. They can also weaken over time.

As for the springs, I never glue them. I ream the hole good with a jack spring reamer so it has a good, solid seat.

Thanks Loren! I better get on the Schaff website!

jw

Another thing to check is to make sure the jack isn't loose from the wippen.

You mean the jack tower Ryan?

The follow up question is, "how much do you charge for small repairs like this one?"

Thanks as always- there are some really great people out here!
jw

If your already tuning there and it's not a big deal to fix, I'd just do it.

just my $0.02

The "Jack Tower"? That's a new one for me! I've heard it called the jack flange. You Canadians and your strange terms!

I live in Canada and call them jack flange

An interesting and congenial perspective. However, consider the likelihood that the malfunctioning jack is probably the "real" reason why the customer called, anyway.

In terms of conveying value to the customer, the repair is probably more significant than the tuning. My conclusion from personal experience and observation is that, more often than not, tuners downplay the value of technical work and don't compensate themselves well enough to make it a priority.

Personally my repair rate is calculated apx. 1.5 times my tuning rate. I've never had a complaint.

Discussing specific prices here may be illegal and may put the website at risk. (See other post this thread).

This is OK, but I just wanted to mention that discussion of specific prices by people that work as piano technicians is likely a violation of US antitrust laws.

There is nothing wrong with a discussion. An agreement is another matter.

I appreciate your thoughts, Mr. Akins. By "1.5 times my tuning rate" do you mean a per hour rate?
Thanks,
jw

ok, so I have to do more than read, and log in here to comment.

Our technical expertise is extensive, gathered over the years, some are more knowledgeable than others, and repairs are an experienced based factor.

To that end, it is entirely proper and correct to charge for that, even tho it may seem a simple fix if we have the knowledge to do it in 2 seconds. That said, I would say it also depends on customer and if that is long term or short.....

sm

Just like the old quip about the car mechanic -

Q: "£20 to turn ONE BOLT? - it only took you 10 seconds".

A: "Yeh - £1 to turn the bolt... £19 to know which bolt to turn".

I charge extra when called for, but don't nickel and dime my customers. A quick capstan, letoff, pedal adjustment, etc., goes with the service. If I have to pull the action, then an extra charge is called for, imo.

Here’s how I deal with it. I have an hourly rate that I won’t mention. To get me to the house (service call) is one hour and to tune, two more. A single or a double pitch raise is another hour charge. But I am quite lenient for adjustments and repairs. For instance, if I charge an hour for a single pitch raise and all the capstans need adjusted, I won’t charge extra. Usually one broken string is not extra, either. Some customers make out better than others, all get thorough service, and I don’t have to say “Mother may I?” when something needs to be done.

I am betting it is the towering jack flange coming unglued from the whippen, also.

edited out

Thanks Loren

Discussing prices is not illegal. Our agreeing on a set price is a different story.

*edit* That said, by all means obey the forum guidelines. If PW says no discussing price, then no discussing price!

So if you charge $X per hour for tuning, that means you charge $X.5 per hour for repairs?