Although cracks in the soundboard appear from time and time again, they are often more of a cosmetic nature than functional. And in cases like this the cracks are not even visible unless the lower panel is removed or the piano is turned around and looked at from the back – both which never really…
I had the opportunity tonight to attend a lecture by David Kirkland, the most knowledgeable man living on Steinway pianos, and author of this book. If you ever need to call in for a Steinway warranty question you’re most likely to speak with David. He was invited to come to Daynes Music to present to all…
In 2004 Yamaha flew me out from Utah to California to their advanced, hands-on, small-environment training class for piano technicians called “Little Red Schoolhouse”. Here is a picture of me being trained by LaRoy Edwards. This hands on experience was really one-of-a-kind! An intense week-long training on the regulation of Yamaha grand pianos – which…
When servicing an old upright piano for the first time, one never knows what they’re going to run into. In this case there were three notes that didn’t play at all and the piano hadn’t been serviced for approximately 7 years, so it of course needed a pitch raise, not to mention the gathering…
While most of my blog posts on this site are geared toward technical piano stuff, to me the life of a piano tuner is an overall experience. And the experience wouldn’t be complete without an occasional lunch out or golf game with my friend, Carl Teel, owner of The Piano Shop in Bountiful! He and…
Spinet pianos are, for most technicians, the most difficult pianos to work on. This is largely a result of the action design being what’s referred to as a “drop action” where the majority of the action parts are lower than the back of the keys as opposed to being above the back of the keys. Here’s what…
Here’s my documented journey of repairing 14 chipped ivory keytops on a Chickering baby grand from 1936. Below you’ll see before and after pics of the action. The owner is also getting a new mahogany bench with square legs and getting it finished to match the piano – we hope that, when all’s said and…