Tuning pin problems – watch out for this!

Besides the rust, there is another problem with this picture. The wire coiled around each tuning pin is flush against the plate. This happens after several decades of tuning and settling, and is largely unavoidable. Once the coil is touching the plate, tightening the tuning pins is difficult and the piano’s tuning stability can suffer. […]

Steinway M Grand Piano

1969 Steinway & Sons model M (5’7″) Henry Steinway, a German immigrant, founded the Steinway company in 1853. It quickly became one of the leading piano manufacturers, and for the past century Steinway pianos have been the instrument of choice for a majority of performing artists. All Steinway instruments are still manufactured by hand in […]

Improper Repairs – you get what you pay for!

This is what happens when bass strings are replaced improperly! The copper winding around each bass string must terminate at an exact point relative to the length of the string and the geometry of the piano. Notice the copper winding in this picture that extends too far, continuing on past the bearing pin, which separates […]

Gutted piano

A baby grand piano, gutted and waiting for a thorough cleaning and re-stringing. What you see is the soundboard, with the long bridge and bass bridge still attached. The dampers are removed and lying in the keybed. The action and key frame is in the background, and the plate with attached pinblock is leaning against […]

Smallest piano ever!

A gift from a student. Smaller than Legos, this piano stands at all of about 2″ tall. Thankful that I don’t work inside these for a living!

Does homeowners’ insurance cover piano damage?

Water got inside this piano due to a home water leak in the ceiling above it. Notice the significant rust on the strings to the left, and mold and discoloration on the hammers to the right. Fortunately, in this case, homeowners insurance covered the cost of replacing the hammers and the strings in this piano, […]

Know your humidity levels!

Did you know that pianos are very sensitive to humidity changes? The most vulnerable parts of a piano are the soundboard, bridges, and pinblock. Excessive dryness can cause wood to shrink or become brittle, which can cause cracks and major tuning stability problems. Excessive moisture can cause swelling and warping, creating tuning problems as well. […]

Piano strings – how many are there?

A standard piano has 88 keys, but well over 200 strings. Typically the lowest octave or so consists of single-string notes, or monochords. The next section, usually ending somewhere in the octave below middle C, consists of two-string notes: bichords. All monochords and bichords are wound strings, meaning they have a steel core but have […]

Know your piano warranty

This is a broken connector elbow for the pedal mechanism in an upright piano that was less than 5 years old. Many people do not realize that repairs such as this are almost always covered by warranty, and for at least 10 years (sometimes longer). Most manufacturers will even cover the cost of the service […]