[Harp-L] Re: customizers/techs (from the other side)

[Michael Easton <diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

It's funny to see this discussion come up  on list because we techs  
tend to talk to each other privately about the business
and sometimes the custom/repair that has gone awry  We know each other  
and no matter how good,
 have worked on each others harps from time to time.  You try us out  
like you try out harps or
gear.

 I contact other techs sometimes if there is something unusual about  
their setup  ie. tuning scheme, gapping, custom parts  etc..
I had one customer who was shocked to find out I contacted the maker  
of his custom.  I told him we network and understand that others will  
work
on our harps from time to time.  I had a question the customer  
couldn't answer so contacted the source.

There are times customers will do work on their custom harps then send  
them to other techs for repair later.  Trust me, we know. ;-)

You need to know what your customizer specializes in.   Don't go to a  
steak restaurant expecting good fish and don't go to a fish restaurant  
expecting a good steak.
We can't be everything so we specialize.  Some work on diatonics only,  
some chromatics, some orchestral harps, some altered tunings and  
overblow set ups.   A very few have the time to work on all of them  
and be an expert on all of them.  We sometimes direct our would be  
customers to other techs because we feel they might do a better job or  
be better at understanding the customers needs.  Other times we are  
just too darn busy or need a break  and pass the work on to fellow  
techs.  The guys that have been in it a long time have no problem  
passing on work.  We've let go of that part of the  ego that tells us  
we can fix or build anything.

All techs have their good and bad days at the bench.  Sometimes our  
best isn't good enough because the reeds  in question just won't let  
us show our best or the customer had higher hopes for the outcome  
given their playing ability.  We might be able to fix or improve  85%  
of the problem and by chance the last 15% is fixed by the next tech.    
So you give the next tech 100% of the credit when 85% of the problem  
was taken care of for him.  If you have been using a customizer/repair  
tech for awhile and they have been doing a decent job don't give up on  
them for not meeting an expectation.

Unless there is some gross rip-off by the tech don't run a  campaign  
against him.  Move on.  Techs stand by each other when we know each  
others abilities and so do their loyal customers.  Voicing your  
complaint on a list group may backfire and scare other techs from  
wanting to do business with you.   You may have been that 1 in 100  
this year that couldn't come to terms with their tech no matter who is  
to blame.  It happens.  Move on.  I'm sure it's as much a bad  
experience for him as it was for you.

Every tech out there whether newbie or seasoned  wants to please the  
customer.  It won't happen 100% of the time.

Unlike designing automobile motors to perform better and better, work  
on stock reeds has it's limits.   It doesn't take a lifetime to know  
how to improve upon that one thing or become an expert. .  It isn't  
reserved for a select few of us to master that ability then keep  
getting better and better so others can't obtain an equal ability.
The only way to move past that is to redesign a reed like Brad  
Harrison has done. But even then his reeds will only have a finite  
number of ways to improve upon it if at all possible.

There are 2 truths in the world.  Even the most beautiful women in the  
world are someone's ex's.
And even the best harp techs in the world have their ex's.   No one is  
perfect in a relationship, even those we put on a pedestal.

mike