Repair & Servicing
With 25 years experience of reconditioning pianos, I provide a comprehensive piano restoration and piano repair service. However, I also believe in offering honest, impartial advice. The cost of fully reconditioning a piano can often exceed that of replacing it with a newer one. Extensive repairs may be an option, but I will always offer alternative, more cost-effective solutions, if possible.
Action & Key Repairs
When a key is played on the piano, a felt ‘hammer’ flies forward and strikes the string, causing the note to sound. This is due to a sequence of moving parts within a complex mechanism called the ‘action’. Renewing piano felts, tapes, springs, centre pins, cleaning, and other processes, can give a new lease of life to a worn and ageing action.
Piano keys are cleaned by polishing, to restore their shine. If severely chipped or damaged, a new set of covers can be fitted. Piano key bushings can be renewed, where wear has taken place.
Re-stringing and Re-pinning
Due to age or usage, the strings on a piano may need to be replaced. Piano ‘strings’ are actually made from steel wire, which graduates in length and gauge, from thinnest and shortest in the treble, and becoming longer and thicker towards the bass. In the bass section, the strings cannot become longer due to the dimensions of the casework, so are therefore made thicker by the addition of copper wrappings. The string tensions throughout are designed to be uniform, to achieve a well-ballanced sound.
The piano’s strings are fixed to a ‘hitch pin’ at the lower end, then wrapped around a ‘tuning pin’ at the other. Both strings and tuning pins are renewed during the re-stringing process. If the tuning pins become loose, the piano will not hold its tuning. This is a common problem with older pianos, and can be repaired by replacing the pins for a larger size. This can sometimes be carried out without renewing the strings, in order to keep costs down.
Regulating
The way a piano feels to play, through the keys, or ‘touch’, is an important factor in the enjoyment of the instrument. Regulating is the process of adjusting the piano’s action and keys to achieve the most efficient operation of the mechanism. Through wear and tear, the regulation of the action can deteriorate, causing the keys to feel unresponsive, heavy and uneven. The touch of a piano can be transformed by being properly regulated, and makes playing more pleasurable.