We can make your piano sound better?
Does it need tuning or a service? Is it in need of repair, restoration or repolishing? Do you need to hire a piano? Do you need a valuation for your piano? Do you have pre-purchase questions? Find out more below, or get in touch with us for a friendly, personal service.
COVID-19 Hygiene Guidelines for Pianos
The following COVID-19 piano hygiene guidelines have been sent to us by APTTA (Australasian Piano Tuners and Technicians Guild) for all our members to follow and recommend to clients.
The Corona Virus (COVID-19) is having a major impact throughout the world and that includes the world of music teachers and piano owners. The Piano Technicians Guild is making the following suggestions.
1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has specific tips for preparation, protection and care. You can view this information at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/protect/index.html
2. Special care should be taken when using disinfectant products on a piano. Our thanks to Greg Cheng, RPT, for his invaluable assistance in developing these recommendations.
General Recommendations
• Generally speaking, a soft disposable towel, using warm water and hand/dish soap is safe to use on virtually every finish, key, and case parts. Always follow up with a dry soft disposable towel to dry any standing liquid. Cheng recommends the Wypall L30 disposable towel.
• Cleaning pianos is a gentle process not a scrubbing process. Pressing hard or vigorous scrubbing may lead to scratching or removing the finish. Always proceed with caution and use common sense. Remember to wash your hands after you have thrown away the towels.
If using disinfectant products
• Use alcohol-based disinfectants, do not use bleach-based disinfectants or any product containing citrus.
• If using a spray or liquid bottle, use a disposable towel like WYPALL L30. Put the disinfectant on the towel and not the piano.
• After use, immediately put the towel or disinfectant hand wipe in the trash and wash your hands as the CDC recommends. Do not use reusable towels or cloths.
• Always follow up with a dry towel and never leave any liquids on the piano or keys.
Keys
The keys are the most important part. Generally speaking, most disinfecting wipes or sprays (see General Recommendations) should be safe to use on the keys.
Case Parts
Case parts finishes vary greatly and can be easily damaged by disinfectant wipes and sprays. A soft disposable towel, using warm water and hand/dish soap is safe to use on virtually every finish, key, and case parts. Always follow up with a dry soft disposable towel to dry any standing liquid.
Again, cleaning pianos is a gentle process not a scrubbing process. Pressing hard or vigorous scrubbing may lead to scratching or removing the finish. Always proceed with caution and use common sense. Remember to wash your hands after you have thrown away the towels or wipes.
Piano Tuning
Piano Tuning is our most requested service, and we work hard to deliver great results. If your piano doesn’t sound right or the notes don’t work properly call us on 06 7583114 or contact us here to arrange for our registered piano technician to get it playing and sounding right.
Repairs, Restoration, Repolishing
We have the skills and experience to do pretty much any level of restoration or rebuilding work.
Piano Hire
Pianoworks piano rental programme (Taranaki only) is an easy and affordable way to get a quality piano into your home.
Buyers Guide
Your comprehensive guide to buying a new piano.
Questions and answers
We suggest your piano be tuned twice per year as most piano manufacturers do, though in many cases once per year is fine. Pianos should always be tuned before concerts and performances.
Usually we need to bring the pitch up to the correct level before the piano can be tuned, we call this pre-tuning pitch correction. Depending on the previous pitch we may need to run over the tuning 2 or 3 times before the tuning is stable at the new pitch.
It is recommended that your piano (or any musical instrument) be kept out of direct sunlight and away from direct heat and ventilation sources. Ideally if the space is comfortable for people it should be fine for your piano, not too hot or too cold or damp.
Regular tuning is the most basic service that should be performed at least each year, however all pianos require more in depth adjustment work to the action mechanism (regulation) usually at 5 year intervals or more frequent for heavily used pianos. This adjusts for wear, felt compaction, string cuts on the strike surface of the hammers etc, and returns the touch to factory specs.
To establish a value on a piano requires inspection of the instrument, along with consideration of brand, age and market conditions at the time. Contact us if you require a valuation for selling or insurance purposes.
We move the pianos we buy and sell, and can offer this service for clients if the access is straight forward. For difficult access and stairways we can recommend professional movers with a bigger team. Call us to discuss your requirements and we will be happy to assist in whatever way we can.