This doesn’t really have much to do with piano tuning per se, but a neighbor of ours, Scott Steffensen showed me this video (below) earlier this year. I was totally enthralled! “The Chapman Stick (The Stick) is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the…
I am working on a rebuild job right now for the Mahas family and the question was posed: “Will the piano lose it’s value if it does not have the original finish?” The Antique Piano shop, which rebuilds dozens of antique pianos at a time, posted this video just a short time after the question was…
Daynes Music Company label inside this 1954 Lester Spinet (Peay’s): Cleaning underneath the keys: I tuned it 100c flat, cleaned it and fixed terribly bobbling hammers. Now it plays like a piano again!
Sometimes we discover hidden treasures, other times we discover things that ought to remain hidden! This petrified mouse was inside a piano I worked on today. (My 5-year old asked if it was dead…YEP!)
Sharpie permanent marker (and tape residue) on piano keytops? …. BEFORE: AFTER: ???????????????????????????????????? 100% Acetone (nail polish remover) took the Sharpie off quickly, but not the scotch tape residue…that took lots of hard finger work! The main downside of using Acetone is that the keys lose their original glossy finish. But then again there probably…
1918 Bluthner grand that Bob’s mom, who apparently was a very accomplished pianist, bought in 1961 for $1,800. 4 strings per unison in treble (the 4th one is sympathetic). Each string is individually tied. Lots of screws in the soundboard. I can’t figure out if they may have once served a purpose. It seems like…
It never ceases to amaze me the things I find in pianos! I removed the action, shook it out and this is what ended up on the floor: p.s. NEVER put drinks on top of the piano… (unless it’s a 60 year old beat up Lester that needs to be surplused! ;-))
International PTG Atlanta Convention Press Release I had an awesome time at the 2014 International Institute of the Piano Technicians Guild in Atlanta, Georgia. (click the link HERE (or above) for the Press Release.) The name tag (picture below) brings back a lot of memories and good feelings to me – and it all represents service that I…
1920 Steinway M: Treble end: Bass end: New keys, sharps & naturals, will be necessary: And lastly, at some point in time, case refinishing and matching bench:
