A Moment Of Frustration Becomes A Million Dollar Idea w/ Mark Purney, RPT, Owner Of Supply 88
Sometimes a problem is just a path to unique new creations.
We all have problems. We all have some that even make us want to give up and crawl into a fetal position.
For Mark Purney, string repairs are a dreaded necessity that he wishes didn't exist.
As he put it, "I hate doing string repairs. I always have. I probably always will."
The most frustrating part for him was storing all the potential gauges of wire he might need. For years he found it hard to store the wires properly. Finally, though, it was his moments of frustration with the piano wire that inspired him to create Piano Wire Tires. It was his first big product as a piano industry entrepreneur, allowing his company, Supply 88, to come into being.
Catch this fun and fascinating Piano Tech Radio Hour episode with Mark Purney, RPT, Owner of Supply 88. Learn some inside tips for finding great tools from a master tool creator and supplier himself.
Here's a little bit about our Guest Mark Purney:
We all have problems. We all have some that even make us want to give up and crawl into a fetal position.
For Mark Purney, string repairs are a dreaded necessity that he wishes didn't exist.
As he put it, "I hate doing string repairs. I always have. I probably always will."
The most frustrating part for him was storing all the potential gauges of wire he might need. For years he found it hard to store the wires properly. Finally, though, it was his moments of frustration with the piano wire that inspired him to create Piano Wire Tires. It was his first big product as a piano industry entrepreneur, allowing his company, Supply 88, to come into being.
Catch this fun and fascinating Piano Tech Radio Hour episode with Mark Purney, RPT, Owner of Supply 88. Learn some inside tips for finding great tools from a master tool creator and supplier himself.
Here's a little bit about our Guest Mark Purney:
Prior to becoming an RPT in 2007, Mark earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Cleveland State University and spent 20 years designing electronics and software. Mark studied classical piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a youth, played keyboard and guitar in multiple bands, and still plays with his church's worship band.
Mark is an avid inventor, having designed numerous specialty tools many piano technicians use worldwide. This led to Mark and his partner Dawn launching Supply88 in 2015. Mark's designs include the Kestrel, the world's lightest carbon fibre piano tuning lever, and Piano Wire Tires, an easier way to store and transport piano wire for field repairs.
Mark has also been an active volunteer in the Piano Technicians Guild, serving four years on the Board of Directors (2015-2019 Western Regional VP), four years on the Institute (2014 Director), and chairing multiple committees. Having attended many conventions, seminars, and factory training programs, he's a veteran participant in and contributor to continued education, promoting excellence in the field of piano technology.
𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐔𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓❗❗
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Piano Tech Radio Hour is brought to you by Piano Technicians Master. We provide cutting-edge piano technology instruction from piano industry masters without leaving your home, featuring monthly subscriptions, conventions, single live streaming, and recorded masterclasses. Learn advanced skills:
- How to tune pianos.
- How to repair pianos.
- How to rebuild pianos.
- How to tune concert pianos for the finest performers in the world.
Creators and Guests
Host
David Andersen
David Andersen, owner of David Andersen pianos in Los Angeles has been a professional musician, recording artist, and piano technician/consultant for nearly four decades. He has overseen the restoration and maintenance of hundreds of Steinway and Mason & Hamlin pianos during that time. Beginning in 1975 he apprenticed for two and a half years under Jack Cofer in Atlanta, Georgia; during the 1980s he studied at Steinway facilities both in New York and London.
Host
Eathan Janney
Eathan has 20 years of experience as a piano technician. He studied with Dave Miller, the staff piano technician for the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, New Jersey. Dave Carpenter, the inventor of the Verituner electronic tuning device, provided mentorship for Eathan in Chicago. Eathan also worked with Ken Eschete and Bill Schwarts, the staff piano technicians at Northwestern University in Chicago. In 2009, he founded Floating Piano Factory of New York, a company that allows piano technicians to move from Apprentice to Craftsman level while offering value pricing to clients as technicians progress toward mastery. In 2017 he founded Piano Technicians Masterclasses, an online project designed to offer cutting-edge instruction from piano industry masters to anyone on the globe with an internet connection.
Guest
Mark Purney
Prior to becoming an RPT in 2007, Mark earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Cleveland State University and spent 20 years designing electronics and software. Mark studied classical piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a youth, played keyboard and guitar in multiple bands, and still plays with his church's worship band. Mark is an avid inventor, having designed numerous speciality tools many piano technicians use worldwide. This led to Mark and his partner Dawn launching Supply88 in 2015. Mark's designs include the Kestrel, the world's lightest carbon fibre piano tuning lever, and Piano Wire Tires, an easier way to store and transport piano wire for field repairs. Mark has also been an active volunteer in the Piano Technicians Guild, serving four years on the Board of Directors (2015-2019 Western Regional VP), four years on the Institute (2014 Director), and chairing multiple committees. Having attended many conventions, seminars, and factory training programs, he's a veteran participant in and contributor to continued education, promoting excellence in the field of piano technology.