Services we offer
Regular Piano Tuning / Maintenance
It is recommended that you have your piano tuned every six to 12 months. With Northshore Tuning as your regular piano technician, your piano will receive a comprehensive pre-tuning inspection with each service. See below for a list of services that we offer. If you have any questions, please reach out to us.
Pitch Raises
As time passes, the tension in a piano’s strings will gradually reduce overtime causing your piano to come out of tune. Thankfully however, this is a relatively straight forward process to fix and usually this is simply a basic tuning job by a technician. However, for pianos that have been left for a long time without tuning, or if the piano has undergone some kind of change or trauma, the de-tuning can be so severe that a pitch raise is required instead. A pitch raise is essentially a tuning, however done on a much larger scale, that takes longer and often costs more. Where a regular tuning will use small incremental changes to the strings, a pitch raise requires a far larger level of tension to be added back into the string and is a far more complicated procedure.
Piano Regulation
Micro-adjustments are made to ensure it plays its best. It involves calibrating the action (hammer and whippen playing mechanism), keys, dampers and trapwork (pedals) so that the piano is responsive to the player's touch and produces a wide dynamic range
Pitch Lowering
Same concept as a pitch raise except a pitch lowering is needed when the piano is a quarter tone sharp or more.
Hammer Shaping
This is the process of carefully reshaping the felt hammers of a piano by removing excess felt material, using tools like files or sandpaper, to restore their original rounded shape and strike point, thus improving the piano's tone and sound quality by ensuring optimal contact with the strings when struck
Voicing
Voicing is a process by which the felt on a piano's hammers is adjusted to change the tonal quality of the instrument. Over time, the fibers in the piano’s hammers get compacted. This causes a more harsh and abrasive sound. Through the voicing process, a technician loosens the fibers of the piano’s hammers to provide for a softer and mellow tone.
Purchase Consultation
If you need a new piano, but are not sure what to look for, I am happy to do the research and look at the pianos myself. The search is based on the clientʼs needs and budget.
Piano Repair
Piano repairs include sticky keys, broken strings, pedal problems, double-string notes, and much more. Feel free to reach out to inquire about your specific piano needs.
Piano Cleaning
For complete cleaning service, the piano is cleaned inside and out which includes the exterior case, lid, music desk, soundboard, bridges, strings, action, action cavity, keys and pedals (trapwork).
Key Rebushing
As pianos get played, the bushings in the front and center of the key will get worn, which results in wobbly keys. When this happens the key bushings need to be replaced.
Keytop Replacement
Over time keytops can become chipped, worn, discolored and can even fall off. Older keytops that use ivory are especially susceptible to chipping and forming jagged sharp edges. I can have an entire set of keytops replaced within a week’s time at a reasonable cost.
Action Center Repinning
Action centers are the moving parts of the playing mechanism. Action center repinning is the process of removing and replacing the small metal pins, called "center pins," located in the flanges of a piano action. These are crucial for maintaining proper alignment and stability of the moving parts within the piano action.
Bridle Strap Replacement
Bridle straps are only found in upright pianos. Bridle straps hold the hammer butt and the whippen taut to allow for easy and safe removal and replacement of the piano action. Removing the action is necessary for some repairs and rebuilding jobs so it is important for all the bridle straps to be strong, secure and connected.
Felt and Leather Replacement
Your piano has hundreds of felt and leather parts in the playing mechanism which allow all parts to move smoothly and quietly. Over time these felts and leathers can become hardened, damaged, moth-eaten or even fall off altogether. This leads to clattering, clicking, and buzzing sounds in addition to poor playing response. An example of some piano felts would be the dampers which quiet the strings after the note is released.
Humidity Control System Installation
Pianos are often subjected to extreme temperatures and humidity changes that can lead to tuning instability and sluggish action parts. This can lead to sticky keys and even cracks in the piano bridges and/or soundboard. A humidity control system in the piano helps to create a sealed micro-environment which humidifies and dehumidifies as needed. This permits tunings to last longer, the piano to perform better as well extending the piano’s overall value throughout its lifetime.