Re: [pianotech] For Sale: Brand New Schaff Nylon Extension Tuning Hammer

[David Boyce]

The problem is it's old technology now, Victor.  People are going for carbon fiber levers.  Or the Levitan C lever.

Best regards,

David B.

On 04/04/2018 12:18, Victor Mansella wrote:

Brand new. #2 Star tip, 5 degree head, 12" handle with 18" total extended length.

Message me with an offer...no lowballing please

[Jon Page]

It's also bulky. You can simply cut the handle off of a golf club and insert the shank (with some filler). I cut the rubber end off and attached a ball on the end.  My stringing hammer is just a golf handle on the shank.

[Joseph Garrett]

Jon,
Some of the Carbon Fiber/Titanium tuning hammers have more "bulk" than that thing.<G> They are lighter though, so the tuning kit is lighter. This is probably a case of someone deciding to become a tooner and then deciding that it's more work than it looked like.<G>
Just my take on this sort of thing. My suggestion? Give it to a pianist as a way of making an out of tune piano less bad.<G>
Best,
Joe

Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I
gpianoworks.com

[David Boyce]

It's old technology, Victor. 

People are mostly experienced technicians on this list, and if needing a new lever, would put $100 towards the cost of one of the modern hi-tech options.  If buying a lever for someone who just wants to touch up the odd unison, or is starting to learn tuning, there are less expensive options.

Best regards,

David B.

On 05/04/2018 20:58, Victor Mansella wrote:

No takers for $100 shipped?

[Terry Farrell]

First of all, April 1 was four days ago. Not funny then, certainly not funny now.

Secondly, I already have one just like that - I use it in the shop for stringing when I don’t want to beat up my nice carbon-fiber lever.

Third, if I did want a lever like this one, I could buy a new one for $88 - or a fixed length lever for $50.

And then this one is used. Who knows if threads are stripped, shaft is bent, bearings are worn or the idler is disarticulated. And who has had their grubby hands on it - and where have those hands been?

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

No thanks.

Terry Farrell

[David Boyce]

You certainly would NOT want a disarticulated idler......  That would
just be the pits, man.

Best regards,

David B.

[David Boyce]

Well thank you for that moving encomium, Victor.

Just because we don't want to buy something you want to sell!

Arguably it's a trade, not a profession, anyway.

Best regards,

David B.


On 05/04/2018 22:20, Victor Mansella wrote:
> OK, got it. What a miserable profession.

[Horace Greeley]

In fairness, Victor did describe the hammer as being new.

Kind regards.

Horace

[David Boyce]

Yers. I didn't really mean to be sarky.  But I did already explain about
the newer lever technologies on the Pianoworld Technicians forum, where
also Victor had advertised it before here.

Best regards,

David B.

[Joseph Garrett]

Yeah! What he said! Times Two!
Joe

[Joseph Garrett]

Victor,
I don't think Schaff sells things on Amazon. Someone definitely ripped you off, not question. Sorry.
Best,
Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: Victor Mansella
Sent: Apr 5, 2018 4:13 PM
To: pianotech
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Re: For Sale: Brand New Schaff Nylon Extension Tuning Hammer

I didn't take that as being snarky, David, but rather helpful. I get it now, I got ripped off buying it for $200 from Schaff on Amazon, I had no idea it was old news.

'And then this one is used. Who knows if threads are stripped, shaft is bent, bearings are worn or the idler is disarticulated. And who has had their grubby hands on it - and where have those hands been?

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!'

'Who knows' is anybody that actually read my post, which stated that the lever is brand new. Silence would be a much more thoughtful way of expressing your disinterest, dude.

[Joseph Garrett]

Hey Twinkle Toes! Suck it up and be nice. We basically told you the truth. I'm wondering why you bought the darned thing in the first place? Trying to save some bucks by doing without a qualified technician with creds?
And, for the one that said this is not a profession,... it damned sure is! And, a good one. It's been good to me. The work required to do this stuff is equivilant to, at least 5 years of college, if you go the distance, imo!
Best,
Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: Victor Mansella

Sent: Apr 5, 2018 2:20 PM
To: pianotech
Subject: [pianotech] Re: For Sale: Brand New Schaff Nylon Extension Tuning Hammer

OK, got it. What a miserable profession. 

On Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at 10:15:10 AM UTC-4, Victor Mansella wrote:

Brand new. #2 Star tip, 5 degree head, 12" handle with 18" total extended length.

Message me with an offer...no lowballing please

[Paul McCloud]

Victor:
If I needed one, I would have made an offer. I have two old ones already, exactly like yours. Thanks. Like others, I have moved on to a lighter one. But, my old ones served me well. They are not a bad hammer, much better than the other "student" models you see on Ebay and Amazon. It'll work just fine. Before all the new fangled ones we have now, that's what everyone used. And a LOT of pianos got tuned with those. Hale was the original tuning hammer mfgr, and they go back over 100 years. So, the pedigree is good.

Here's what I found on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Finest-Quality-Professional-Extension-Tuning/dp/B008D1M1JQ/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1522988093&sr=8-10&keywords=piano+tuning+hammer&refinements=p_89%3ASchaff%7CSchaff%2FHale

Amazon Price: $239.28 + $11.84 shipping

Same hammer directly from Schaff: $114, no shipping included. (OUCH! Woulda shoulda coulda..)

You have to be a professional with an account at Schaff to get that price. So, new from Victor at around $90 to $100 is a bit of savings, but not a lot. Sorry that he paid a lot more for his, and sell it for less than half. If I meet a new aspiring tech, I"ll pass on the information. I used one of these for 25 years. Meanwhile, I think he could try selling it on Ebay.

Paul mcCloud
San Diego

[Pat Buongiorne]

Sorry, but you couldn't give me one of those.  They're too heavy and hurt my back after doing pitch raises all day!  I still have my old ones in a box.  Fujan is what I use and I love it!

[David Boyce]

I should just mention that the comments below about stripped threads, worn bearings etc, were not written by me but by Terry Farrell.  I did make a joke out of the 'disarticulated idler' though.

Victor, yes, it looks like you originally paid a rip-off price, I am afraid.  I think honestly you will struggle to get $50, whether you sell the lever on Ebay or whatever.  These were very much a popular good-quality lever years ago, but technology really has moved on and there are more sophisticated alternatives on the market now, like the Fujan, the Faulk and the Levitan levers.

Kind regards,

David B.

On 06/04/2018 00:13, Victor Mansella wrote:

I didn't take that as being snarky, David, but rather helpful. I get it now, I got ripped off buying it for $200 from Schaff on Amazon, I had no idea it was old news.

'And then this one is used. Who knows if threads are stripped, shaft is bent, bearings are worn or the idler is disarticulated. And who has had their grubby hands on it - and where have those hands been?

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!'

'Who knows' is anybody that actually read my post, which stated that the lever is brand new. Silence would be a much more thoughtful way of expressing your disinterest, dude.

On Thursday, April 5, 2018 at 6:40:05 PM UTC-4, David Boyce wrote:

[Jon Page]

I have a Schaff extension hammer (modelled after the Hale) with a rosewood handle. Up until last week, I used it for stringing. But its weight prompted me to remove the shaft and replace the handle with a sawed-off golf club grip. Much lighter and the rubber handle won't ding anything. So now I have a rosewood handle extension hammer that is pretty much as useless as a Windows computer that only uses dos (remember those limited memories).

It's a little beat up but free for s//h.

Come to think of it, I do have a nylon Hale extension hammer that a client gave me. Her father was a piano tuner, I use it to tune her piano: only.

I also have a collection of hammers in a drawer. Some real junk. DB received an antique two-headed monster, at least something good comes of it...

[David Boyce]

On 06/04/2018 11:32, Jon Page wrote:

> as useless as a Windows computer that only uses dos (remember those
> limited memories).

I had forgotten. My memory is limited....

> DB received an antique two-headed monster, at least something good
> comes of it...

Indeed yes, and I appreciated your kindness very much Jon.  I am
becoming an antique moster myself, though with only the one head.....

Best regards,

David B.