Piano Technicians Guild
By Douglas K. Rhodes
Though I do not wish to weigh in with yet another opinion on the pin tightener debate, I would like to make a few remarks as a supplement to one of the points that Charles Flaum made in connection with this issue.
In MMD 970305, Charles Flaum wrote:
> 1. There has not been one an article in the Piano Technicians Guild
> (PTG) Journal in the last 15 years that has endorsed the use of pin
> tighteners in pinblocks.
Lest there be any confusion over what Mr. Flaum meant, The Piano Technicians Guild _itself_ neither endorses nor condemns any commercial products, with the exception of new elephant ivory, the use of which by Guild members is forbidden. Many products have, however, been discussed and evaluated within the pages of the PTG Journal, in articles written primarily by Registered Piano Technicians. As Mr. Flaum correctly points out, there have been no articles published in the last fifteen years in support of the use of pin tighteners. Quite to the contrary, in fact.
I think this carries far more weight than if one had merely said that the _PTG_ does not endorse pin tighteners. The PTG Journal has been, and continues to be, the single most important print forum for the exchange of information regarding piano technology and service in the English language. Whatever else one may think of the Guild and those of its members that it has certified as Registered Piano Technicians, those RPT members earned their credentials by passing the toughest, most thorough examinations that exist in the North American piano industry. The Journal represents the collective (though sometimes conflicting) thoughts and observations of the Guild's member-subscribers.
The articles published in the Journal over the years have primarily come from the Guild's certified members -- men and women who typically work on pianos five or more days a week. The editorial policy of the Journal is not unlike that of the Mechanical Music Digest. The Journal favours material that is concise, well-reasoned, and free of malice and vindictiveness.
I think a very acceptable conclusion may be drawn from the fact that this publication has had no advocates for pin tightener. The majority of technicians don't like it because either it doesn't work, or it ruins the pinblock, or both.
My apologies. I ended up unable to suppress yet another opinion regarding pin tightener. However, if wrangling over gnarly piano-related technical issues is what some enjoy, perhaps a more appropriate electronic forum for that purpose would be the Pianotech Mailing List, a listserver that the PTG hosts. Subscriber information may be found at the Guild's website at:
http://www.prairienet.org/arts/ptg/homepage.html
Cheers
Doug Rhodes - RPT
President, Vancouver Island Chapter
The Piano Technicians Guild
Victoria, British Columbia
CANADA
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(Message sent Sat 8 Mar 1997, 00:28:35 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.) |
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