|
|
|
|
|
SERVICES:
REBUILDING:
Rebuilding is necessary when action parts (including keys and dampers) are so worn that it renders any maintenance procedure as futile. The main considerations in action rebuilding are replacement of the following: hammers, shanks with flanges,repetitions, new key bushings, new damper felt and guide rail felt, and new damper underlevers. If all this work is done, it is a considerable job and depending on the make of the piano, a considerable but a very necessary investment in order to maintain the instrument at high standards.
ACTION REBUILD:
These days, piano technology has come quite a long way to get an action to respond and perform at its peak. How many times have I heard from pianists and piano lovers as well that this piano sounds so beautiful but a nightmare to play! Well with ingenious approaches in altering the weight of an action, you can get that magnificent tone and that heavenly touch all in one. Just think, all of you who have made a hefty purchase in that dream instrument, only to find later on that the touch and weight of the action is nowhere near like the one at a another store, local church or your neighbor's house. The thing to remember is that all of us who love to play the piano look for a symbiotic relationship in both touch and sound. The new weighoff designs will undoubtedly achieve this!
One caveat however; if this work makes the action function smoothly but does not help improve the tone significantly, one has several other considerations. The first consideration is the soundboard. The soundboard is an amplifier and the resonator of the piano! If the board (especially on older and dried out instruments) has a loss of crown (in the center), the vitality of the piano's tone is lost. The only way to rectify this is to replace it with a new one. In my experience, most boards generally retain their crown and would normally need some repair i.e.. shimming soudboard cracks etc. If indeed the board is healthy, the next consideration is the bridge and the amount of downbearing. Downbearing is a force of deflection of the string off the bridge which transmits the sound vibrations of the string to the soundboard. If downbearing is inadequate on either side of the bridge, then you have tonal deficiencies that will not be overcome with just action work.
REGULATION:
Regulation is a process to make the piano feel and sound evenly from note to note. It involves: reshaping your hammers to get the most rounded and fullest tone possible; spacing and travelling the hammers so they strike the strings squarely; leveling the keys so that all keys are even with each other; adjusting the myriad of action parts that makes it possible for the pianist to have supremely adequate control from one note to the next and to have adequate depth of touch; adjusting the dampers so they all lift evenly and mute off the strings cleanly; and finally, voice the instrument in such a manner so as to have a deep, rich bass, a mellow and warm middle, and a singing and sparkling top register. Of course this can only be done when the piano is finely tuned. Regulation is a basic maintenance procedure, just as one would regularly change the oil and filter in a car.
CONSULTATION:
Most consultations for which I am called generally deal with assessments for insurance purposes and/or for resale. The most important consultation is that of an appraisal for work to be done to get the instrument to as close to manufacture standards as possible. It is so important to make the proper assessments the first time otherwise one can waste a lot of time in the course of a rebuild. There is a charge for the exam that would, in my practice, be deducted from the total cost of the job, if the rebuilding job is agreed upon by the client. There are other smaller consultations of general advice in terms of care of the piano that are customarily free.
