Piano Tuner West Virginia Explains Piano Rebuilding

As your piano tuner West Virginia and the surrounding areas, I am often asked what is meant by the term, “piano rebuilding.”  It turns out that the term has no specific meaning. Generally, it means whatever work that needs to be done on a piano that requires the instrument to be moved out of the house and to a shop for piano repairs. Even the term “complete rebuilding” can have several meanings. If a piano is to be sent to a shop for repairs, very specific itemization should be done to indicate exactly which repairs will be done.

For example, if work is to be done on the piano soundboard, it should be specified whether the soundboard is to be repaired or replaced. The cost for those two varies enormously, so it is important to specify. Also, if the soundboard is to be repaired, what type of repairs will be done. For example, soundboard cracks may be repaired and the soundboard refinished, but whether the soundboard is to be secured to ribs below and the type of securing should be specified, since there are several ways to secure the soundboard.

Another example regards the work done to the action, the mechanical portion of the instrument. There are many ways to rebuild a piano action. Some rebuilders replace only the hammers and leave all the other action parts original. Some piano rebuilders will replace the piano hammer shanks, wippens, key bushings, and back action(dampers). There is a great difference in price depending on what parts are replaced. In addition, there is a great variation in the price of parts, depending on the maker of those parts. There is controversy among piano technicians as to which parts are superior. The price is not a reliable indicator, according to some technicians.

If you have any questions about pianos, piano tuning, or piano repairs, please consult us. Harker Piano Service is your piano tuning West Virginia experts, and we provide professional piano services in the surrounding areas as well.