Self-Tuning Piano
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hat tip @rontuner over at WTF and in turn got it from Piano World:
Link to video]YouTube videoThe inventor says that after they go into mass production the system would cost $900 (not sure about installation, it looks labor intensive to install and may even need some calibration right after installation). Assuming the whole thing works and can be had for under $2000 (including installation & calibration), then yeah, I think I want it. That’s like 6~8 tunings, the thing will pay for itself in four years and I get good tunings and temperaments of choice year round. Now what if something breaks, maybe a sensor or a heating element goes kaput … not sure how reliable the product will be and how that translates into maintenance costs. :man-shrugging:
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You do that and tell us how it goes.
@LuFins-Dad said in Self-Tuning Piano:
You do that and tell us how it goes.
No problem, some people have got to be the pioneers/beta testers/Guinea pigs. This is something that interests me so I have no problem considering taking some risks for it.
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Then when you need regulation and the like you will pay through the nose for it.
I see that like I look at cheap pet meds online. It's short sighted. If you deprive vets of that profit center, you'll just pay more for their services.
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Then when you need regulation and the like you will pay through the nose for it.
I see that like I look at cheap pet meds online. It's short sighted. If you deprive vets of that profit center, you'll just pay more for their services.
@Mik said in Self-Tuning Piano:
Then when you need regulation and the like you will pay through the nose for it.
I paid for regulation about once every ten years. And both times the technician explained that he needed to tune the piano first and then do the regulation. I don’t see why a system like this will increase the cost for regulation. Just shut off the system the day before the piano technician arrives, the technician would tune the piano then regulate the piano like he normally would, as if the self-tuning system does exist.
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If you’re thinking the technician need to jack up the price of regulation to make up for loss revenues (from losing tuning business), the bigger issue there are the electronic pianos that don’t need tuning and sell more briskly than an aftermarket system like this that will only appeal to a small subset of an already small population of acoustics (grand) piano owners.
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The tuning will be serviceable at best.
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Ever heard a piano that was in tune when played mf and was out of tune at ff? I do every day due to a member of my staff training as a technician. The velocity of the hammer strike will impact the tuning. This method does not address that.
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Superheating strings 2 inches away from heat/humidity sensitive wooden soundboard and bridge? Please do…Can I send you some information on the SX and CF Series as potential replacements for your piano?
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If you’re thinking the technician need to jack up the price of regulation to make up for loss revenues (from losing tuning business), the bigger issue there are the electronic pianos that don’t need tuning and sell more briskly than an aftermarket system like this that will only appeal to a small subset of an already small population of acoustics (grand) piano owners.
@Axtremus said in Self-Tuning Piano:
If you’re thinking the technician need to jack up the price of regulation to make up for loss revenues (from losing tuning business), the bigger issue there are the electronic pianos that don’t need tuning and sell more briskly than an aftermarket system like this that will only appeal to a small subset of an already small population of acoustics (grand) piano owners.
Fundamental misunderstanding of the majority of the digital piano market. Most digital piano sales are replacing Lester Spinets and Kimball Whitneys. They are actually a vast improvement and your Betsy Ross customers never got their pianos tuned anyway.
The second largest subset of digital piano buyers are people buying them as secondary instruments. @George-K @kluurs @jon-nyc all fall into this category. Digital Piano buyers have some small effect on piano tuning business but not as much as you might think.
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I wonder how much the piano can be "out of tune" for the system to still work.
It doesn't actually turn the pins. It only temporarily heats strings and when you remove the power it goes out of tune again.
I guess if the piano is significantly out of tune, you'd still need a "real" tuning (but it doesn't have to be exact). Actually, I guess the "real" tuning needs to be lower than the end result because the heat can only increase the pitch but not decrease it.
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@Mik said in Self-Tuning Piano:
Then when you need regulation and the like you will pay through the nose for it.
I paid for regulation about once every ten years. And both times the technician explained that he needed to tune the piano first and then do the regulation. I don’t see why a system like this will increase the cost for regulation. Just shut off the system the day before the piano technician arrives, the technician would tune the piano then regulate the piano like he normally would, as if the self-tuning system does exist.
@Axtremus said in Self-Tuning Piano:
@Mik said in Self-Tuning Piano:
Then when you need regulation and the like you will pay through the nose for it.
I paid for regulation about once every ten years. And both times the technician explained that he needed to tune the piano first and then do the regulation. I don’t see why a system like this will increase the cost for regulation. Just shut off the system the day before the piano technician arrives, the technician would tune the piano then regulate the piano like he normally would, as if the self-tuning system does exist.
Regulation is generally an hourly cost, not by job. The reason why you are only getting it regulated every 10 years is because your technician is making minor adjustments on the action nearly every time they tune the piano without charging for it… A slightly misaligned hammer is a 30 second correction caught early and a 20 minute job next year if not caught early…
The Brad
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I remember discussions on PW from 10 or more years ago about the self tuning piano. I believe there were some comments then about concerns that the heated strings could have adverse impact on other components of the instrument. Again, my tech does more than tune the instrument with nearly every visit. A pass for me.
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@Axtremus said in Self-Tuning Piano:
@Mik said in Self-Tuning Piano:
Then when you need regulation and the like you will pay through the nose for it.
I paid for regulation about once every ten years. And both times the technician explained that he needed to tune the piano first and then do the regulation. I don’t see why a system like this will increase the cost for regulation. Just shut off the system the day before the piano technician arrives, the technician would tune the piano then regulate the piano like he normally would, as if the self-tuning system does exist.
Regulation is generally an hourly cost, not by job. The reason why you are only getting it regulated every 10 years is because your technician is making minor adjustments on the action nearly every time they tune the piano without charging for it… A slightly misaligned hammer is a 30 second correction caught early and a 20 minute job next year if not caught early…
@LuFins-Dad said in Self-Tuning Piano:
@Axtremus said in Self-Tuning Piano:
@Mik said in Self-Tuning Piano:
Then when you need regulation and the like you will pay through the nose for it.
I paid for regulation about once every ten years. And both times the technician explained that he needed to tune the piano first and then do the regulation. I don’t see why a system like this will increase the cost for regulation. Just shut off the system the day before the piano technician arrives, the technician would tune the piano then regulate the piano like he normally would, as if the self-tuning system does exist.
Regulation is generally an hourly cost, not by job. The reason why you are only getting it regulated every 10 years is because your technician is making minor adjustments on the action nearly every time they tune the piano without charging for it… A slightly misaligned hammer is a 30 second correction caught early and a 20 minute job next year if not caught early…
That just means the technicians amortize the cost of "minor regulation adjustments" across "tuning" visits and factored the cost into the price they charge for "tuning". And, yes, I am aware when the technician does any regulation while on a "tuning" visit, and most of the time they do.
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@LuFins-Dad , forget about the speculative "self-tuning piano" technology that's not even a real produce yet, I have a question for you: is there a "labor shortage" in the piano tech trade?
The airlines say they are not getting enough pilots, the schools say they are not getting enough teachers, the hospitals say they are not getting enough nurses. Just wondering if there is also a shortage of labor in the piano tech trade. What do you see in the business?
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We’re actually seeing an influx of youth in the technical community around here.
