Scott is a trained Action Rebuilder specializing in the composite actions from Wessell, Nickel, and Gross. These are the same actions that are in every new Mason and Hamlin piano. Call to learn about the benefits of rebuilding your action with these state-of-the-art parts! More Info : Piano Repair | Piano Tuner Upstate New York

Scott has trained at Steinway and Mason and Hamlin and is a Certified Dampp-Chaser Installer. Experienced in all aspects of tuning, repair, and restoration, Scott passed his exams to become a Registered Piano Technician of the Piano Technicians Guild in 2012. A dedicated technician with over ten years in the industry, Scott is committed to making your piano the best that it can be! More Info : Piano Tuner Berkshires | New York Piano Works

There are around 230 strings on the average piano. Each string on the piano has a unique pitch and frequency that must be tuned to the other strings. The sound quality of your piano is determined by these strings, so they must be maintained properly. Due to stress, these strings can stretch over time, causing the piano to become out of tune. Seasonal Changes in humidity also cause the piano to become out of tune. When pianos are tuned regularly, they are easier to tune, stay in good condition, and maintain their value. Piano tuning regularly also avoids damage caused by overstretched strings. It will be more expensive and time-consuming to get a piano back into tune if it hasn't been tuned in a long time. If a piano hasn't been tuned in a long time, a piano tuner may attempt to correct the problem by raising the piano's pitch. This involves pulling all of the strings, resulting in a sharp pitch. When the strings naturally stretch over time, causing the pitch to go flat, this overcompensation should keep the piano in tune. You should have your piano checked every six months to a year to ensure that the strings last as long as possible. If the strings are damaged too much or the keys are not properly working, you should take a piano repair service. More Info : Piano Regulation | Grand Piano Regulation

One of the most often performed and most necessary things one can do to a piano is to have the action serviced. The benefits, compared to the cost, result in great value and a noticeable improvement in the performance of your piano. Action Servicing involves three procedures: Cleaning the action, tightening all screws, and lubricating action centers. The procedure takes about an hour. Cleaning is the first step. The action is removed from the piano, dust and debris are blown out with compressed air (outside of course), and the action is wiped down with cleaning solution and a microfiber cloth. Next, we tighten all the screws. In an upright piano action, that’s well over 200 screws! We tighten hammer butt screws, whippen screws, action frame screws, and damper screws. In a grand action there are fewer screws: Action frame screws, Hammer flange screws, and whippen screws. Finally, we lubricate the moving parts. Most pivot points in piano actions are comprised of pins that ride inside cloth bushings. The lubricant that we use clears out dust and debris, lubricates the pivot point, and protects it from future damage. In an upright piano, we lubricate hammer butt flanges, damper flanges, whippen flanges and jack flanges, as well as balance rail pins. In a grand piano we lubricate hammer flanges, whippen flanges, jack flanges, and balance rail pins. Action servicing should be done every three to five years, depending on usage and environmental conditions. In addition to making the piano play more efficiently and with less extraneous noise, servicing the action also affords the technician an opportunity to examine each of the many moving parts, and correct minor problems before they become major and costly ones. Make an appointment today! Piano Restoration Upstate New York

One of the most often performed and most necessary things one can do to a piano is to have the action serviced. The benefits, compared to the cost, result in great value and a noticeable improvement in the performance of your piano. Action Servicing involves three procedures: Cleaning the action, tightening all screws, and lubricating action centers. The procedure takes about an hour. Cleaning is the first step. The action is removed from the piano, dust and debris are blown out with compressed air (outside of course), and the action is wiped down with cleaning solution and a microfiber cloth. Next, we tighten all the screws. In an upright piano action, that’s well over 200 screws! We tighten hammer butt screws, whippen screws, action frame screws, and damper screws. In a grand action there are fewer screws: Action frame screws, Hammer flange screws, and whippen screws. More Info : Service your action today

There are around 230 strings on the average piano. Each string on the piano has a unique pitch and frequency that must be tuned to the other strings. The sound quality of your piano is determined by these strings, so they must be maintained properly. Due to stress, these strings can stretch over time, causing the piano to become out of tune. Seasonal Changes in humidity also cause the piano to become out of tune. When pianos are tuned regularly, they are easier to tune, stay in good condition, and maintain their value. Piano tuning regularly also avoids damage caused by overstretched strings. It will be more expensive and time-consuming to get a piano back into tune if it hasn't been tuned in a long time. If a piano hasn't been tuned in a long time, a piano tuner may attempt to correct the problem by raising the piano's pitch. This involves pulling all of the strings, resulting in a sharp pitch. When the strings naturally stretch over time, causing the pitch to go flat, this overcompensation should keep the piano in tune. You should have your piano checked every six months to a year to ensure that the strings last as long as possible. If the strings are damaged too much or the keys are not properly working, you should take a piano repair service. More Info : Why It’s Important to Tune Your Piano

Restoration includes the same type of work done in rebuilding, but with an emphasis on restoring the old parts to their as-new state as opposed to replacing them with new, modern parts. If you suspect that your piano needs major repairs, have a complete evaluation done by a qualified piano technician who specializes in rebuilding. Discuss costs versus benefits of various repair options, and whether the completed piano would meet your performance requirements. Most rebuilders will provide you with a written proposal. Expect to pay a modest fee for this service. New York Piano Works charges a service call fee for this service, but if you decide to proceed, that fee will be applied to the cost of the work performed. You may want to visit our shop to inspect other work in progress or ask for a reference list of past clients. Checking out similar jobs will give you a sense of how your instrument could be improved, as well as a feeling for our workmanship. When you decide to proceed with major work, be sure to ask for a written contract. This enables you to know exactly what will get done to your piano and the associated costs, estimated completion date, payment method, and guarantee policy. Get detail info: Grand Piano Regulation Grand Piano Repair

Before using polish on your piano, be sure it is actually necessary and beneficial. In general, most manufacturers recommend using against polishes because of the potential for damage to the finish and contamination of other parts of the instrument. Common household products such as "lemon oil" or inexpensive "furniture polish" should be avoided. Despite the labels' claims that they "protect" the finish or "feed" the wood, they offer no protection from scratching and can actually soften the finish if over-used. Worse, they often contain silicones and oils that contaminate the wood, complicating future refinishing or repairs. Silicone is especially dangerous because of its tendency to spread within the piano, sometimes causing extensive internal damage. Avoid aerosol products altogether since the over-spray can contaminate piano strings, tuning pins, and action parts. An appropriate polish can help to restore luster to a dulled finish or reduce the tendency of some finishes to show fingerprints. However, it should be applied sparingly and infrequently, and all excess should be wiped clean with a soft dry cloth so no visible film remains. To prevent scratching, always dust before polishing. Specific recommendations follow. Get detail info: Piano Finish Repair Piano Humidity Control

Before you or your technician can fully evaluate the tone of your piano, it must be well-tuned. Tuning is the first step in improving the sound of any piano and may actually provide the tone you desire. If the tone is still not satisfactory, your technician will inspect the action, hammers, and strings. If these components are severely worn, major repairs may be required before an improved tone is possible. Moderately worn hammers can be re-shaped with sandpaper to remove string grooves and restore their original rounded shape. Next, the hammers are aligned to Action regulation should be checked or adjusted. This ensures an even, powerful response from each key. If tuning, hammer shaping, and regulation are correct, the tone probably will be balanced but still may be too bright or mellow for your taste. If so, your technician might recommend voicing the hammers. For a tone that is too loud, too bright, or seems to die out too quickly, softening the hammer felt is often recommended. This is usually done by inserting needles into specific areas of the hammer to increase flexibility. For a tone that is too weak or too mellow, hardening of the hammer felt may be necessary. This is usually done by filing away soft outer layers of hammer felt or by applying a chemical hardening solution. Once the overall tone is correct, individual notes are voiced to make the tone as even as possible from one end of the keyboard to the other. In some pianos, certain notes still may sound different from their neighbors, no matter how skillfully the technician voiced the piano. This most commonly occurs about an octave below middle C, where the strings change from steel wires wrapped with copper to plain steel. Such irregularities are a result of design compromises, and usually cannot be corrected by voicing. Get detail info: Piano Repair Piano Regulation And Voicing Piano Tuning And Repair Service

Your piano may benefit from voicing if: Your piano sounds different than when you purchased it. You don't like the sound even after it has been tuned. The tone varies radically from note to note. You cannot achieve a range of tones (mellow to bright) at different volumes. The piano has lost its ability to play softly. Before deciding if a new piano needs voicing, make sure it is well-tuned and well-regulated. Then, play a wide variety of music on it. Most voicing procedures are long-lasting, so give yourself some time to explore the sound of a new instrument before deciding to change it. How often voicing is needed depends upon the piano's usage and its intended audience. Pianos in concert halls and recording studios often receive minor refinement of the voicing before each performance. A home piano may need some initial voicing to customize it to the owner's taste, then once every one to five years to maintain its tone. Your piano and your musical needs are unique -- your own schedule for periodic voicing is a matter for you and your technician to decide. To find out how voicing might improve the tone of your piano, ask for a demonstration on one or two notes. Get detail info: Piano Regulation And Voicing Also Visit: Piano Tuning And Repair Service Piano Restoration