How your Piano is Prepared and Looked after

PREPARATION

Pianos are uniquely different from most other products. There are literally several thousand working parts in each instrument, most of which are intricately connected with each other. It is no wonder then, that careful preparation and care is essential for a piano to play and sound at its best.

This is just as true for new pianos as it is for used ones, and it applies to all makes. Good preparation requires a lot of knowledge and experience, and also takes a great deal of time. As a result it may not always be carried out fully by some suppliers and levels of `setting up` can vary considerably.

Our commitment is to ensure that each piano we sell is prepared to the best possible standard and we allow the necessary time to do this properly. This makes a world of difference to the value and enjoyment of your piano. We have always provided this service and even after 30 years working with pianos we are still keen to bring out the beauty in each instrument.

" Thank you for your interest, your knowledge of what you deal with, and time taken to ensure everything is as good as possible "

This page explains the level of work we do and the benefits which result. We hope this will show how important it is and help you understand what is involved.

Some of the information here is quite detailed but it is well worth looking at. Better still, if you visit the shop we can demonstrate what is involved in preparation and show you the difference between a piano which has been prepared and one that has not.

TUNING AND TONING

Piano tuning

" Very pleased with my piano. It sounds wonderful and I`m really loving it "

Hammer voicing

" I have bought from you because of the level of service you offer. I felt you were interested in helping me get the piano as I wanted it. Not just in selling a piece of furniture"

Pianos often arrive to us quite badly out of tune. On new pianos the strings are still stretching and used pianos may not have been tuned for sometime. Careful tuning is obviously crucial to the sound of any piano. It achieves the correct pitch and also brings out the tonal character and harmonic richness in each instrument.

Piano tuning requires substantial training as well as experience. Our partner, Jon takes responsibility for the shop tunings. He has been a qualified tuner for many years. Each piano is finely tuned when it arrives at the shop and it is then checked again before delivery. These extra tunings help to stabilise the piano so that it will stay in tune better for you.

Toning and voicing is the process whereby the sound of a piano can be adjusted, perhaps to give a more mellow tone or to restore brightness. It is also used to even up individual notes. Careful toning can make a remarkable difference, often bringing the piano to life. It is a delicate operation, in which skill needs to be built up over a long period of time.

All our pianos are carefully toned and voiced as required and your own preference can be taken into account when this is done.

BENEFITS:

Really brings out the individual beauty of each piano.
Piano sounds sweeter avoiding any harshness.
More even and balanced tone as you move across the keyboard.
The tone can be adjusted to suit your own preference.

ACTION AND KEY REGULATION

Upright mechanism

The 'action' is essentially the hammer and damper mechanism, operated by the keys. It is a complex system working through a cycle and is expected to repeat very quickly when required. The piano keys have a sensitive balance movement on the `keyframe`.

There are at least nine primary adjustments for every one of the 88 notes!

Spacing hammers

Action adjustments relate to factors such as hammer alignment and distance from the strings, operation of the dampers, and repetition of the mechanism.

Key adjustments affect the operation and levelling of keys as well as depth of key movement. Pedal adjustment is also often required.

Key levelling

Adjustment and regulation is very time consuming and takes a great deal of patience and skill. Grand pianos are the most complex and can take several days to complete. We always check every adjustment on each piano here at the shop before delivery.

Grand action regulation

BENEFITS

Key touch is lighter, more even and responsive.
Repetition of notes is better, important for more advanced playing.
Tonal quality and power is also enhanced and so dynamic range is increased.
The mechanism operates correctly without any squeaks or clonks.
Long term durability is much better.

OVERALL QUALITY CHECKS

Checking the cabinet

With new pianos, cabinets have to be carefully inspected on arrival and it is important to check the working parts for any manufacturing faults which might have crept in. These sometimes come to light as the piano is prepared, so we can correct them before delivery to avoid any faults developing later.

Used pianos are assessed for any repairs needed and these are carried out to bring the piano back to top standard. Cabinets are thoroughly cleaned and then restored as required.

DELIVERY

"We received excellent service, staff were knowledgeable and easy to talk to. On delivery every care was taken of both the piano and our house. Many thanks"

We nearly always deliver your piano ourselves to ensure it arrives safely and so we can take every possible care of such things as carpeting, wood or tile floors and vulnerable door thresholds. When we have to engage outside carriers they are always specialist piano movers with the same standards. Wherever possible, we try to arrange times to fit in with your own commitments and we can assess difficult moves beforehand if necessary.

CARE OF YOUR PIANO

We provide detailed advice about looking after your piano, including factors such as maintaining humidity, the effect of sunlight and caring for the keys and cabinet.

After sales support is crucial for pianos. This can involve future readjustment of the mechanism as well as further voicing and tuning. With new pianos, manufacturers actually require the retailer to operate the guarantee for them.

We ensure you have a link with an experienced tuner who will do the regular tuning for you. They will report back to us if they ever have any concerns about the piano, so that we can sort the problem out. This way you have the best aftercare, both during the guarantee period and afterwards.