Tuning means tightening or loosening the strings for each note to achieve a musical sound (harmony). A piano has 88 notes, each with either 1 string (lower bass), 2 (upper bass), or 3 (tenor and treble). Most pianos have about 220 strings total. $185

If your piano has not been tuned for a relatively long time (more than a year or two) it has probably drifted so far out of tune that it needs a little extra help at the first appointment: a pitch correction tuning to get it close (a rough tuning to get it in the ballpark), followed by a fine tuning. Adds $95-$185 to tuning fee.

Pianos go out of tune because their wooden soundboards swell in the humid summers and shrink in the dry winters. Our Midwest climate has huge swings in seasonal humidity, which is why our pianos go out of tune more than anywhere else in the country (maybe even the world!). Installing a Dampp-Chaser Piano Lifesaver Climate Control System helps solve that problem by maintaining a constant safe and stable humidity level all year round, which keeps your piano in tune longer and minimizes soundboard cracks. It is hidden, noise-free, and costs just pennies to operate. We’ve installed a system in our own piano and the pianos of every one of our brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews (as well as in the pianos of hundreds of our best piano friends!). We strongly recommend you get one too. 

Periodic system cleaning and/or changing of humidifier pads.

Regulation is the process of adjusting the mechanical action (hammers, levers, dampers, springs, etc) to make the keys feel consistent from note to note, efficiently produce power, quick to repeat, quiet, etc. Piano actions consist of thousands of small parts made of wood, felt, and wire, and need periodic adjustment to compensate for wear and weather.

Voicing means the adjusting the tone (voice) of the piano’s sound – bright, mellow, loud, soft, etc. After a few years of even moderate playing, a piano’s tone usually gets brighter as the hammer felt gets packed down (harder felt produces a “harder” sound) and harsher as the strings cut grooves into the hammers contact points. Voicing can make your piano sound beautiful again. Ask us for demo at your next tuning.

Pianos have lots of parts, screws, glue joints, etc. Some of those parts hit other parts and vibrate, so it’s no surprise that stuff can wear out, break, become unglued, loosen, buzz,, etc. We fix these kinds of problems all the time. We carry lots of tools and spare parts, so we can repair almost anything on the spot. Sometimes we need to order parts or bring the action of your piano back to our shop. If so, we’ll get the repairs done as quickly as possible and get you back in playing condition in no time.

Dust happens…and so do paperclips, pencils, coins, small toys, etc. Sometimes even the occasional mouse takes up residence. It’s a good idea to have the inside of your piano cleaned every once in a while – you might be surprised at what we find!