Tuning/Repairs

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A) Regulation​​

          The action regulating is the art of making a piano ‘invisible’ to the musician behind the keys. Such adjustments:

                            1) establish the stringing distance for the hammer 

                            2) space or set the hammers 

                            3) level and space the keyboard 

                            4) regulate the travel of the hammers and so on...

          These tasks are usually executed while tuning, but in case extra work or major restoration is required, please refer to “How much do you charge?” under [F.A.Q.].

B) Voicing

          The hammer is the most important component of the piano action, simple though it may appear. This compact, round cushion, gives the timbre and tone color to the note when the hammer is brought in contact with the string.

          In brief, voicing is the function of re-conditioning the hammer of a piano so as to produce the desired tonal quality. If in bad condition and if you don’t want the expense of having the hammers replaced, I would gladly restore them to their original shape and quality as far as possible. 

C) Other repairs

          That could be anything from:

                              1) fixing sticky keys, usually due to humidity swelling wooden parts of the  action or simply foreign objects obstructing the keys… 

                              2) replacing any white key tops with new plastic one. Note that it is impossible to find NEW  ivory key tops by law in Canada, and that’s a good thing.  But they make "fake ivory" ones that I can provide for you if needed...

                              3) in the case of a fissure in the sound board and if not too large of a crack,   there is a way of 'patching' the ‘buzzing’ noise it creates with some repair,   but your piano will never recover its full original sound as before…   

                              4) replacing a broken string. Note that stretching a string reasonably in order   to achieve tuning does NOT cause it to break but rather the very condition of the string itself (age and how rusty it is could cause it to break)... (see Note*(1) below )

                              5) fixing faulty pedals and much more…
      

        >> All necessary repairs on your piano, including ‘voicing’ and time consuming ‘regulation’, will be assessed with you prior to commencement of any work or tuning... <<  

    Note*(1)  Keep in mind that replacement of any bass strings will required me to take a proper measurement of it (or in extreme cases, take a sample of the string itself) to a manufacturer in order to replace it. Otherwise, for all other normal strings, I carry a supply of different sizes with me.