soundboard Archives - South Jersey Piano

Heat vents vs. pianos

February 2, 2018 by SJ Piano ServiceNo Comments

Quite often this time of year, I have conversations with customers about heat vents in their home. It has been a cold winter in New Jersey, and many home furnaces have been working overtime. Particularly in homes with forced air (blowing) heat sources, it's important to protect pianos and other musical instruments from the hot, dry air. The simplest and most effective way of accomplishing this is simply keeping the piano away from heat vents. If that's not an option, consider vent redirect options like the one pictured. Notice the air from the vent is being diverted away from the piano, without any significant loss to the amount of airflow into the room. Your piano will thank you for your attentiveness to this detail - pianos that are kept away from dry heat sources are far less likely to develop soundboard and bridge cracks, and remain much more stable in tuning and regulation. ...

Cleaning matters

April 18, 2017April 18, 2017 by SJ Piano ServiceNo Comments

Cleaning the soundboard and plate of a grand piano can make a huge cosmetic difference! It won't make the piano look new again (at least, don't count on it), but if you have a grand piano and like to leave the lid open, make sure you stay on top of cleaning. General purpose, non-abrasive cleaners are fine for the metal plate. The soundboard is a little trickier to clean if you don't have special equipment to get under the strings, so you may want to talk to your technician about that at your annual appointment. This piano was nearly a century old, and it might have been that long since it was cleaned. There was about an eighth of an inch of dust on the soundboard! ...

Soundboard cleaning – easy with the right tools!

September 6, 2016November 30, 2016 by SJ Piano Service Comment Closed

Grand piano soundboards tend to collect dust, and unfortunately they are pretty difficult to clean with any standard household equipment. However, there are some specialized tools, both commercial and handmade, that can do the trick! Pictured here is a soundboard cleaning set that I carry everywhere with me (3 pieces). They're not too expensive, if you hate dust and want to do it yourself on a regular basis. Alternatively, most piano technicians will do it for a nominal fee. For annual customers who keep up with their tunings, I often do this service free of charge! ...

Piano plate – the heaviest part of the piano!

August 6, 2016November 30, 2016 by SJ Piano Service Comment Closed

This metal frame inside the piano is known as the "plate." Many people erroneously refer to it as the soundboard. The soundboard is in fact just that - a thin board behind the plate that resonates with the strings and amplifies the sound. The plate is purely structural. And sorry, even though it's often a nice shiny gold color, the plate is not made of gold! Or even brass, bronze or copper. Other than a few rare, experimental exceptions, all piano plates are made out of cast iron. And that's why pianos are so heavy. ...