When does a piano need reconditioning or rebuilding? | Piano Finish Repair

Most pianos can be played for many years without major repairs. However, the tone, touch, and appearance will continually decline with age. When regular maintenance such as cleaning, regulating, voicing, and tuning can no longer provide satisfactory performance, a piano may require reconditioning or rebuilding.

Exactly when a piano needs rebuilding or reconditioning depends on its original quality, the climate, usage, and performance requirements. One piano may need rebuilding after just twenty years, while another may need only reconditioning after fifty years. The best way to decide is to seek out a qualified piano rebuilder with the judgment, experience, and expertise to advise you on such an important decision. If your Registered Piano Technician does not offer rebuilding services, ask for referrals.

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Why does a piano's pitch change? | Piano Regulation And Voicing

Piano strings change pitch for two primary reasons: the initial stretching and settling of strings when the piano is new, and soundboard movement due to humidity variation. In the case of new pianos, the pitch drops quickly for the first couple of years as the new strings stretch and wood parts settle. It's very important to maintain any new piano at the proper pitch during this period, so the string tension and piano structure can reach a stable equilibrium. (Most piano manufacturers recommend three to four tunings the first year, and at least two per year after that.)

Aside from this initial settling, climate change is the main cause of pitch change. That's because the piano's main acoustical structure -- the soundboard -- is made of wood. While wooden soundboards produce a wonderful sound, they also react constantly to climate changes. As the relative humidity goes up, the soundboard swells, increasing its crowned shape and stretching the piano's strings to a higher pitch. Then during dry times, the soundboard flattens out, lowering tension on the strings and causing the pitch to drop. The drop in the dry season tends to exceed the rise during humid times, so the net result is a drop in pitch each year that the piano isn't serviced.

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Action Regulation | Piano Regulation

What is regulation and how does it affect my piano's performance?

Regulation is the adjustment of the mechanical aspects of the pianos to compensate for the effects of wear, the compacting and settling of cloth, felt, and buckskin, as well as dimensional changes in wood and wool parts due to changes in humidity. 

The three systems involved in regulation are the action, trapwork, and damper system. The action is the mechanical part of the piano that transfers the motion of the fingers on the keys to the hammers that strike the strings. It is comprised of over 9,000 parts which require adjustment to critical tolerances to be able to respond to a pianist's every command. The trapwork is the assemblage of levers, dowels, and springs that connects the pedals to the action affecting sustain and dynamics. The damper system is the mechanical part of the piano that stops the vibration of the string when you release the key and is controlled by the key and pedal systems.

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Is Your Piano Out of Tune? | Grand Piano Repair

 For the piano owner who wants to maintain his / her piano but doesn't want to throw good money

away on work that's unnecessary, the question of whether or not the piano needs to be tuned is an
important one. As a responsible owner you would like your piano to sound its best, especially if
children are taking lessons on it. A piano that is in tune will invite one to play, even when the
music is on a beginner's level. A piano that is out of tune will discourage even an avid student
from sitting down to practice. So, as a non-technician, how do you know if your piano is out of
tune and needs the attention of a tuner? Fortunately, you don't need to be a technician or an
accomplished piano player to be able to decide whether or not your instrument need to be tuned.
Apply the following 4 basic tests to your own piano and you will know whether it is in tune or out
of tune. If it is out of tune, it's time to call your tuner / technician to schedule a service
appointment.
Test I: Is your piano at the correct pitch? Whether or not a piano is at the correct pitch
depends on the vibration rate of test notes and how they compare to a standard rate of vibration.
One commonly used test note is that ofA-440 (known as A4) which refers to the A in octave above
middle C. When in tune, this note vibrates at a rate of 440 times per second. This is an important
measure of whether your piano is in tune and is something you can easily check first.
(The reason this is important is because a piano that is either noticeably flat or sharp will not
be as pleasant to play as a piano that is set at the correct pitch.
The further flat a piano is, the less musical it will sound. If the tension on the strings is too
low, the vibrancy of the strings will have decreased along with the pitch. A piano that is
noticeably sharp is no better, in that it will not match other instruments, and will sound off to
people trying to sing or play along with it.)
Test: To see if your piano is at standard pitch you need to compare it to an accurate refer- ence,
such as the tuning fork shown at left. If you don't have a tuning fork handy for use but you do
have a computer with attached speakers try going online at www.onlinetuningforKcom . The middle
tuning fork in the online picture is A-440. Click it
for the correct tone, then compare that to A4 on your piano.
Helpful hint: If your computer is in one room and your piano in another, try humming the tone in
between the two locations. Strike the A in the center of keyboard (photo) to see if the tones
match. If your piano is either noticeably flat or sharp, it's not as musical as it should be.

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What happens to a piano as it ages? | Piano Regulation And Voicing

 

In the short term, leather and felt compact, affecting the adjustment (regulation) of the parts. The action becomes uneven and less responsive, and the piano's tone loses dynamic range. Squeaks and rattles may develop. Routine maintenance such as hammer filing, regulation, voicing, and tuning will correct these problems and maintain the piano in near-new condition.

After extended or very heavy use, action parts become severely worn. Leather and felt to wear thin. Keys become wobbly, hammer felt gets too thin to produce a good tone, and the action becomes noisy. Regulation adjustments reach their limit. In addition, piano strings may begin breaking and the copper windings of bass strings lose resonance.

After decades of exposure to seasonal changes, the wood of the soundboard, bridges, and pinblock is weakened. This causes loose tuning pins, poor tuning stability, and further loss of tone. By this time the piano's finish will often be scratched or faded.

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Basic finish care of piano | Piano Repair

 Modern pianos are finished with a variety of materials, from traditional lacquer to modern polyurethanes and polyester resins. Whatever the material, a piano finish is designed to protect the wood from dirt and liquid spills, reduce the damaging effects of humidity changes, and -- in the case of clear finishes -- enhance the beauty of the wood.

Modern finishes are designed to do their job without the additional aid of polishes or waxes. In most cases, a piano finish is best maintained by simply keeping it clean and avoiding exposure to direct sunlight, extremes of temperature and humidity, and abrasion.

1. Avoiding finish damage.

• Your piano's cabinet, like all woodwork, is subject to expansion and contraction with humidity changes. Excessive wood movement can eventually cause the finish to develop tiny cracks and even separate from the wood. Moderating the temperature and humidity swings around the piano will help to preserve its finish as well as its overall structure and tuning stability.

• Situate the piano in a room with a fairly even temperature, away from drafts, dampness, and heat sources. ALWAYS AVOID DIRECT SUNLIGHT -- it will age the finish prematurely and cause color fading.

• To prevent scratches, never set objects on your piano without a soft cloth or felt pad. Never place plants or drinks on a piano, because spillage and condensation can cause major damage.

2. Dusting your piano

Dust is very abrasive and can scratch the finish if wiped off with a dry cloth. To avoid scratching, dust the piano lightly with a feather duster. Alternatively, wipe lightly with a soft damp cloth to pick up the dust, followed immediately with a dry cloth. The cloths should be soft cotton such as flannel because coarse or synthetic fabrics can scratch some finishes. Wring out the damp cloth thoroughly so it leaves no visible moisture on the surface.

To avoid creating swirl marks, always wipe with long straight strokes rather than circular motions. Wipe with the grain for natural wood finishes, or in the direction of the existing sheen pattern for solid-color satin finishes.

Because some exposed parts inside your piano are fragile, it's best to let your technician clean these areas.

3. Cleaning the finish.

To remove smudges and fingerprints, first dust using the damp/dry cloths as above. If heavier cleaning is necessary, dampen your cloth with a small amount of mild soap solution. A common product is Murphy's Oil Soap, available at most grocery and hardware stores.

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Piano Humidity Control

Humidity Control for your Piano

The next, and we think best, solution is to install a humidity control system directly in your piano. The Dampp Chaser company, makers of the Piano Life Saver system, is the only company making these systems. Over the past 74 years they have perfected their system and adapted it to work in all pianos. This system maintains the relative humidity of your piano within a few percent of the ideal level of 45% Relative Humidity. A humidistat regulates the humidity, similar to the way your thermostat regulates temperature. If the humidity is high, the humidistat activates low power dehumidifier bars to dry out the piano. If the humidity is low, the humidistat activates a humidifier - a gentle version of that which you might put in a room. Periodically, you must fill the humidifier tank with water. This can be disconcerting the first few times, pouring water into a tube that disappears into your piano!

In grand pianos, the system is installed underneath the piano, in direct proximity to the soundboard. An under cover will aid in the effectiveness of these systems. A dehumidifier bar is installed at either end of the underside of the piano, and a humidifier tank is located in the approximate middle.

In vertical pianos, the system is installed in the lower half of the piano, inside the knee board. There is one dehumidifier bar which runs the width of the piano, and the humidifier tank generally rests on the bottom board. A watering tube extends from the top of the knee board to underneath the key bed.

Routine care of the system involves replenishing the water for the humidifier tank, when prompted to do so by a discreet light panel mounted underneath the key bed. The system will be serviced by your technician when they comes to tune your piano; this involves replacing the humidifier pads and testing the system. The system comes with a five year warranty, which New York Piano Works will double to 10 years provided we continue to service the system.

Other than routine care by a qualified technician, a Piano Life Saver system is the best investment you can make towards the quality and consistency of your piano. 

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