Piano Repair Services in Portland, OR

Piano Repair / Services

Pianos last for generations as family heirlooms. With basic in-home repairs and adjustments in addition to tuning, often we can maintain your piano in good shape for decades without a trip to
the workshop. Here are some examples of in-home repair services we provide.

Sticky Keys

Our technicians are experts at troubleshooting a sticking key, and with around fifty parts per note, they need to be. Whether it is a broken part, the wrong friction in a tiny hinge or bushing,
or maybe a spring out of alignment, we will find the problem and take care of it.

Broken Strings

If a wire breaks, we will replace it with the correct size wire. If it is a wound bass string we can order a custom string to match the old one.

Hammers

The hammer is the felt covered part that strikes the string. It is glued to the shank, which is analogous to a drumstick in the piano mechanism. Occasionally, a shank will break and we
replace it with a new one and reglue the hammer in the correct position.

Voicing

The hammer felt becomes compressed at the string grooves which changes the tone. The first step in voicing, or controlling the piano tone, is to shave a layer of wool from the hammer
surface, restoring the shape of the hammer. Other processes including needling and applying lacquer or other fluids restore the piano tone to evenness. Regulation (see below) is also part of
restoring evenness of tone.

Keytops

Chipped keytops are repairable and if necessary, replaceable. If ivory keytops become unglued, we recommend that you have them repaired as soon as possible for the best result as the ivory
may warp and the key under the ivory may become dirty.

Squeaks, Rattles and Buzzes

This is another area for troubleshooting expertise. We will go through the linkages of pedals or action parts to find the noise then clean, lubricate or replace worn components as needed.
Action clicks can be loose screws or loose glue joints. Squeaks can be dirt on a moving part. Springs out of alignment have their own noises. The list goes on and on and our experienced
technicians will strive to find and resolve unwanted noises.

Regulation

Over time, you may notice that the piano doesn’t feel quite the same when you play. Perhaps the piano isn’t giving you very soft dynamics when you want them. The felt becomes
compressed unevenly, because some notes are played more than others. Regulation is what we call the process of adjusting spacing, alignment and spring tension of the parts of each note
mechanism so the piano plays evenly from note to note and resets itself quickly. This process also restores dynamic range, and gives the pianist more control over tone.