Tech Talk Archives

What Is a Pitch Raise and Why Do I Need It?

Pianos sound their very best when they are tuned to the international pitch standard of A-440. What A-440 means is the note “A” above middle C will vibrate at 440 cycles per second. To do this, a piano tuner will make minute adjustments to the tensions of the strings of a piano to properly align […]

Hire a Registered Piano Technician for Your Piano

Your piano is an amazing instrument! It has more than 10,000 individual parts that need to be properly maintained in order to keep it looking and sounding great. A Registered Piano Technician (or RPT) is a technician or tuner who is required to pass a rigorous series of tests administered by the Piano Technicians Guild. […]

On a Bed of Dust

When I took off the cabinetry of my most recent piano, I was surprised to see that the keys had been resting on a thick layer of dust. After letting the vacuum feast on the all-you-can eat dust-filled keybed, it looked ten times better! Then I wiped down the keybed and blasted the front and […]

How to Fix a Soundboard Crack on a Grand Piano

Piano technician Bryce McKay recently fixed a crack in the soundboard of a grand piano we are restoring. He used a router to cut out the length of the crack before filling it in. Check it out! — Piano Technician Bryce McKay

How to Remove Ivory Piano Keytops

Here’s a quick way to remove ivory key tops using a razor blade, vice grips, and a heat gun. Using this method you can usually remove an entire keyset in under an hour with minimal breakage. — Piano Technician Jonathan Knudsen

From Top to Bottom

One of my favorite things to do is take something old and make it new! When cleaning a piano we clean it from top to bottom so picture a before and after of a bottom board! — Piano Technician McKinly Lopp

A New Beginning

Nearing the end of my work on this piano, I am happy and sad, but glad to look back and see the results. This resurrected piano will live on, sounding and performing beautifully in every way once more. — Piano Technician Bryce McKay

Let It Go, Let It Go! Let Go My Ego. . . .

Let off is a big deal. Pianists love just the right amount of let off; it makes those pearly whites feel amazing under your fingers as you tickle the ivories. This is how we do it, by putting a magnet against the strings and adjusting the jack so it disengages the hammer 1/8″ from the […]

Huuuuuge Gap!

After bringing up the tension on the new strings, we saw that the pinblock was indeed in need of some care. This was a ton of fun! Taking away the tension in order to clamp down the pinblock with a whole ton of glue. Drilling huge holes. Sanding and shining the new bolts and washers. […]

Flyaway Jacks

Piano work often feels like detective work when trying to figure out why something doesn’t work right. One symptom can have multiple causes. I’ve recently finished putting a new set of hammers on a piano this last week and was surprised to see odd irregularities in my hair line. Turns out some of the jacks […]

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