Following on from Adrian's piano moving thread, our new to us piano has just been tuned, £120 quid 45 minutes work, but a fair bit of that was chatting and explaining things, it was all interesting.
He is driving in a rural area and he has people houses he might not get to. He could be on a grand a day.
The piano we took home was good, tonight it is better. He was worth the loot.
Shame I am tone flicking deaf, my daughter isn't though.
What other niche jobs have this earning capacity?
...
He isnt earning £120 an hour. Look at the overheads involved, and the amount of work he will do. It isnt a prolificly busy job is it? He probably does one a day.
Car main dealers services are typically £100+ an hour. Drain cleaners will be £100 minimum., alongside locksmiths etc.
He has a van, and is still working on a Saturday night to nearly meet demand
Local Mercedes main dealer wants £125+vat / hour.
Well, up market escorts for a start. Actually, Piano tuning is not so needed these days and I suspect that the loss of custom makes the costs higher or the people doing it would have to do something else. Another musician, one Georgey Fame was having a moan about people to repair old Hammond Organs being thin on the ground. He says you can buy new ones, but they are all synthesised, not electro mechanical like his is, and he says they sound dead and have no character at all.
Brian
Actually our local locksmith is cheaper than that. Fifteen years ago a Cambridge solicitor was costing me £165 an hour (but he was a partner, and *very* smart, and I considered that good value).
There's a proper restoreed Hammond Organ in the (Mechanical) Museum in Brentford.
Pimlico Plumbers ?
They are usually blind though. Is the labrador driving or woofing instructions from the passenger seat ?.
They might do. But they claim to be cheaper than British Gas (look at the rolling screen at the top)
Not so sure about this one
Rolls Royce mechanics.
I don't think its his old one.... Brian
That was well below average charge out rate.
in what way are you not sure about it?
because it's competition
:-)
tim
A few years ago a bloke asked me to address a meeting. It turned out I spoke for 3 minutes and got £75 for it so I was on £1500/hr while the clock was running.
A one off though.
Tim w
In 2003 Royal Mail paid me £400 for 400 words written for a promotional stamp booklet. I don't remember how long it took me to write but it must be the highest word rate that I've ever been paid.
but how long did it take you to get there?
the 75 pounds is probably used to represent your travel time as well as speaking time, otherwise people from miles away wouldn't volunteer
Yes, that was the joke. All my posts are witty in a subtle understated way. sorry if you didn't understand. TW
How many people do you tbhuink need a piano tuner on a regualar basis ? I know one such person (also the only peron I know to vote UKIP) and it isnlt a 5 day week more like a 1-2 day week if he's lucky, as there's just not that many painos about that need tuning apparently.
Solicitors aren't exactly niche but my one has just up his fee to £275 per hour excluding VAT.
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