Master Piano Services

02/26/2022

Most parents want their children to be intelligent and successful. And while some experts have pushed parents to teach their children coding, new research is...

11/29/2020

Chris Bruder playing his recently tuned Samick upright piano.
Contact us today to have your piano tuned in time for Christmas.

04/13/2018

A brief look at the world of the piano technician.

He doesn't play the piano. But he makes the Piano beautiful.

09/08/2017

Another happy customer. Sample of tuning result - Client improv piece

09/04/2017

The Karn Project - Chapter 3: Replacing Bridge Caps
In most situations, the bass bridge cap can be removed and replaced without having to remove the large and heavy plate (the gold coloured harp that holds the string tension).
With the down bearing measured across sections of the bridge, the next steps include:
- Removal of the existing bridge pins
- Creation of a template for the pins and overall bridge shape
- Routing down the old bridge cap
- Filling old bridge pin holes
- Cutting and shaping a new bridge cap to correct height
- Coating the top with dag (graphite paint that allows strings to slide easily across bridge)
- Transferring template bridge pins to new bridge cap
- Drill holes for new bridge pins
- Chamfer edges of bridge up to pin holes
- Tap in new bridge pins
Work was also done in replacing the cap on the smaller tenor bridge and a large section of the treble bridge. Each of these are hand chiseled out along to edges to allow for the strings to cross the bridge correctly.
In our next chapter, we will turn our attention to restringing the piano.
For a full glossary of terms, please visit: http://masterpianoservices.com/glossary-of-terms/

07/29/2017

The Karn Project - Chapter 2: The Disassembly
With the structural issues (cracks in the bridges) that were mentioned in the previous post (Chapter 1), we will need to strip down much of the piano to gain access. This includes removal of:
- The action (containing the hammers and dampers).
- The trapwork (the pedals and lift rods)
- The piano keys (these will be recovered with new material)
- The key bed
With all of this out of the way, we can now get ready to remove the piano strings and the tuning pins that hold their tension. Before this happens, we need to measure the down bearing that the strings have on the bridges so that we can ensure that a replacement bridge cap has the same amount (using a thin cloth string).
In our next chapter, we will focus on the steps involved in replacing the bridge caps on the bass and low tenor sections.
For a full glossary of terms, please visit: http://masterpianoservices.com/glossary-of-terms/

07/18/2017

The Karn Project - Chapter 1: The Assessment
As with any journey, you need to know your starting point. The goal here is to restore this piano to original operating condition.
Inspection of this piano revealed the following issues:
1. Muddy sounding bass and poor sound quality in treble - All strings are corroded from years of humid conditions, and hammers are worn and misshapen.
2. Middle of bass volume is diminished - Cracks in bridge cause poor transfer of vibration through to soundboard.
3. Keys have many missing key tops and are worn from decades of play - Original ivory key tops missing and loose, key bushings are worn and key level and motion need adjusting.
4. Pedals are corroded and mechanism is loose and uneven - Metal corrosion and decades of usage have worn these out.
These are the major areas we will cover over the coming weeks. Stay tuned for the next chapter! In the meantime, please send us your questions.
For a full glossary of terms, please visit: http://masterpianoservices.com/glossary-of-terms/

07/15/2017

The Karn Project
Follow Master Piano Services as we embark on a comprehensive rebuilding project with a 1904 Karn upright piano. We will be providing regular updates on the project during the entire process. Please feel free to ask questions along the way - It's a great learning experience for anyone interested in how pianos work and how they are brought back to life. You can also visit us at http://masterpianoservices.com

05/21/2017

Need the inside of your piano cleaned? The inside of your piano contains hundreds of sensitive parts. Master Piano Services can clean your piano carefully and thoroughly using safe methods and the right tools. Contact us today!
masterpianoservices.com

05/08/2017

Great article on the questions around Piano Tuning by Sally Phillips.

Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer. Piano Tuning: An Introduction by Sally Phillips. To the uninitiated, tuning a piano may seem a simple, straightforward procedure, but it isn’t. The process is complicated by the sheer number of strings and tuning pins (more than 200 of each, the exact number varying w...

04/19/2017

Protecting your piano investment.

Author Lee Johnson - Piano Life Saver Systems - Protecting Your Investment

04/15/2017

A great analysis of the Beatles music and it's impact on modern music culture.

(c) 2004 Channel Four: The Beatles - 20th Century Greats UPDATE: here's John Lennon on George Martin's influence in a 1975 BBC interview with "whispering" Bo...