Typical Services: An Overview
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Our Services
Our Privacy Policy--RAY'S PIANO SERVICE collects only information voluntarily sent via email or through direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone. We will use your information to respond to you regarding the reason you contacted us. We will not share your information with any third party other than as necessary to fulfill your request, e.g. to ship an order. Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you in the future to inform you about special offers, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy. At any time you can ask us to change or delete any information we have about you, or you can opt out of any future contact from us. Don't hesitate to contact us at any time if you have a concern about our use of information about you.
Security--When you submit sensitive information (such as credit card data) to us, that information is protected both online and offline. Sensitive information submitted online is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way, and the computers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment. We also protect your information offline. Only employees who require the information to perform a specific job (e.g. billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information.
Our Service Area--We serve piano owners in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and Snohomish counties in Washington State, in locations up to 50 miles from our shop, and for an additional fee, we will service pianos further away. Also, we will gladly evaluate your piano and arrange to move it from a greater distance for any major restoration contract and include the cost of extra travel in the contract; however, we will usually expect a qualified piano technician in your area to conduct follow-up tunings and other service on your piano after completion of our contract.
Our Guarantee--We guarantee "full satisfaction or your money back." If you are not fully satisfied with our work, we will either arrange to make additional improvements that will, hopefully, meet your expectations, or we will frankly acknowledge that we are unable to meet your expectations and reimburse any money paid or owing for the work in question.
Payment Terms--Sales and Service Contracts up to $1,000: Payment in full upon completion of project or delivery. Sales and Service Contracts over $1,000: Deposit 25% on date of sale or commencement of project, balance on date of delivery or project completion. On accounts delinquent over 30 days, we charge 2% monthly on the outstanding balance, calculated on the first day of each month.
Tuning and Voicing--Tunings are the "mainstay" of piano maintenance. Once tuned to concert pitch, a piano will retain this pitch only until the next seasonal change in climate when the wood parts of the piano expand or contract due to changes in the relative humidity of the piano's environment. Generally, the pitch goes sharp at the beginning of summer because of an increase in the relative humidity of the surrounding air as doors and windows are opened to let in moist outside air, and the pitch tends to go flat at the beginning of winter because of a decrease in the relative humidity of the air as the home is heated. Piano owners who practice for performances or for duets with other instruments are wise to call for "concert quality" tunings at the beginning of each season, while most piano owners are satisfied with an annual tuning. In any case, to ensure optimum tuning stability, tunings should be scheduled during the same season each time they are done.
If you have just purchased a new or reconditioned used piano, you should allow the piano to become acclimatized to your home for at least a month before the first check and tuning. The piano should be tuned at least twice during the first year after being moved to a new location, and thereafter annual tunings are recommended.
The tonal quality of a new piano should be consistent from top to bottom. The expert piano technician can "voice" the hammers of the piano in order to ensure that the tonal quality (loud, soft, brilliant, dull, etc.) of all the notes is consistent. After years of striking piano wires under tension, the striking point of hammers wear to form grooves on the striking surface, causing the tone to become dulled. The wear on the top treble hammers can be so extensive that the felt has worn off completely, resulting in a "clunking" noise as the wood core of the hammers strikes the strings. Also, over time the felt material of hammers tends to soften, resulting in less brilliant tone. To restore the tonal quality of a piano, the piano technician can "reshape" the hammers if enough felt remains, or he can install a replacement set. When appropriate, Ray Klapwyk will recommend improvements in the tonal qualities of your piano.
The Tuner's Basic Tools
Left to right:
Temperament strip for muting strings in the middle section which is tuned first.
Tuning hammer, tuning fork for identifying the pitch of the first note tuned
Mutes for silencing the strings not being tuned
Voicing tool for decreasing tone dynamic of individual hammers, hammer iron for increasing tone dynamic.
Repairs, Reconditioning, and Regulating--Although quality pianos are "built to last a lifetime," the "touch" and efficiency of the keyboard changes over time because of the wear of felt, leather, and cloth parts, and because the pressure exerted on "center pins" turning in cloth bushings when the keys are depressed may cause the moving parts to wear unevenly. Additionally, wood parts warp and shrink over time, causing screws to loosen. Consequently, at regular intervals, maintenance adjustments should be made, moving parts should be lubricated, screws should be tightened, and malfunctioning parts should be replaced in order to maintain the piano at peak performance. The cost of these improvements is well worth the investment, because they will result in a longer-lasting, more reliable piano.
Once every 10 to 20 years, the expert piano technician should clean the piano interior, remove the piano action for reconditioning, tighten all cabinet screws, and conduct a complete "regulation" of the piano's adjustments. Reconditioning the action might include cleaning and lubricating all parts, reshaping or replacing hammers, installing new bridle tapes (uprights) or knuckles (grands), and tightening all action screws. Regulation adjustments might include correcting the hammer blow distance, reducing "lost motion," spacing and adjusting key height and dip, correcting letoff (uprights), letoff and drop (grands), and adjusting spring tension (grands). If necessary, worn underkey punchings and bolster cloth are replaced at this time, and worn or chipped keytops can be replaced. The cost of action reconditioning and regulating can vary from as little as $300 or as high as $2,000 depending on the work involved and the cost of new parts.
Reconditioning an Upright Piano: An Illustration (pictures taken in our shop)
1 - Piano is completely disassembled.
2 - New casters are installed and the pedal board is rebuilt.
3 - New bass strings are installed.
4 - New underkey punchings are installed.
5 - Action Reconditioning--New hammers and installed, all action screws are tightened, new bridle tapes are installed, and all worn and defective action parts are replaced.
6 - Piano is ready for regulation and tuning--Regulation includes setting hammer blow distance and hammer heights and leveling, regulating letoff, dip, dampers, spoons.
Rebuilding & Refinishing--Modern uprights, grands and players have been manufactured since the 1880's. Many pianos built between 1890 and 1940 were extremely solid and reliable when new--well worth restoring! Rebuilding a piano might include all the action and keyboard improvements mentioned in the section on "Repairs and Regulating," restringing and/or repinning, repairing or rebuilding a bass or treble bridge, installing a new pinblock, and repairing or replacing the sound board. When a piano is restrung or repinned, it is also possible to remove the plate and to repair and refinish the sound board. In our shop, we use only high quality new parts, and our major repairs are fully guaranteed for one year (parts and labor). The cost of rebuilding a piano may vary from as little as $300 for rebuilding a bass bridge to as high as $15,000 for the restoration of a superior name brand grand.
Refinishing is best done when the piano is dismantled for reconditioning or rebuilding. We strip each part, repair the cabinet where necessary, sand all surfaces, then apply stain and lacquer or a hand-rubbed finish. When the piano is re-assembled, we correct all regulation adjustments to ensure that the piano is fully restored not only as a choice piece of furniture but also as a fine musical instrument. Cost of refinishing may vary from as little as $1,000 for an upright to as much as $4,000 for a 6' grand. We pick up and deliver the pianos we service, and our Service Offer will indicate the amount to be added for moving your piano. To keep the cost down, we ask for your assistance in loading or unloading at your home.
Rebuilding a Grand Piano: 1908 Hardman Grand 6'8"
1 - Piano action is dissassembled for reconditioning.
2 - Damper mechanism and dampers are removed for cleaning and lubricating, and any defective parts are replaced.
3 - Keys are cleaned, keytops are repaired or replaced, cleaned, and machine buffed.
4 - Keyframe is cleaned, pins are polished, new underkey punchings and key cloth are installed.
5 - New knuckles are installed.
6 - Stringing scale is recorded, plate bolts are removed, plate is placed on blocks and hoisted up, then placed on a table.
7 - Plate is cleaned and understring felts are removed.
8 - Plate bolts are cleaned and polished.
9 - Plate is refinished with gold lacquer
10 - Piano is covered with a blanket and a heater is placed under the soundboard to dry the board and expose any cracks.
12 - The soundboard is sealed and refinished with special lacquer, and a new soundboard decal is applied.
11 - The soundboard and brides are scraped and sanded, cracks a shimmed. If necessary, a new pinblock is made and installed.
13 - The plate is hoisted back into position and bolted into place. Understring felts are installed.
14 - The piano is restrung and repinned, following the stringing scale recorded earlier.
15 - New hammers are installed, keyheight is regulated, followed by regulation of hammer height, letoff, drop, and repetition lever spring tension.
16 - Action is placed in position in the keybed, the dampers are regulated, keydip is regulated, and the piano is tuned to concert pitch.
17 - Music rest, end blocks, keyslip, and fallboard are re-installed. The piano is tuned several times during the following weeks until tuning stability is achieved. Now the piano is ready for delivery!
18 - If the piano being rebuilt is refinished, the various steps of the refinishing process (stripping, sanding, repairs, application of filler, stain, sealer, lacquer) are all completed while the action and plate are out of the piano.
Keytop Replacement-- Most older pianos have ivory keytops. After many years of playing, these keytops may become discolored, worn, chip on the front edge, or become dislodged. It is much less expensive to install an individual used ivory keytop than to replace an entire set, but it is difficult to find a used ivory with a matching color. If only a few ivory keytops need to be installed on your piano, let us evaluate the situation and advise you.
For a reasonable cost, we can install a set of beautiful plastic white key tops. Key top replacement service includes removing the set of keys from your piano and taking them to our shop, removing the keytops and installing a new set of plastic keytops shaped perfectly to the top edges of the keys, and returning to your piano to complete the project by installing the keys, making necessary regulation adjustments to compensate for the difference in thickness between the original keytops and replacement set, and re-assembling your piano. The cost of keytop replacement service including minimum regulation adjustments can be as low as $250. If keytop replacement is included in a reconditioning and regulation project, the cost of replacing the keytops is $150. Phone or e-mail us for an appointment to evaluate your piano.
Keytop Replacement: Two Illustrations
"Before"--Several keytops were missing on this 1934 Baldwin Grand action, and a few are "chipped." Fortunately, the owner had saved the keytops that came off, so we could re-install them, and we were able to replace the chipped keytops with iveries of matching color.
"After"--We reglued the loose keytops, replaced the missing keytops, and machine-buffed the keys, resulting in a consistent sheen in the entire set.
"Before"--This Behning Upright piano was a superb instrument when new in 1903, but a number of keytops disappeared over the years, and aging had resulted in a yellow surface color that was impossible to match with used keytops from our stock. The eboy keys were discolored and several were damaged.
"After"--We removed all ivory keytops, installed plastic white keytops, and with the use of special jigs on our router we shaped them to fit perfectly. We also installed new plastic black keys. Together with the new lacquer finish that we applied, the changes resulted in a century-old piano that looks brand new!
Evaluation Report and Service Offer--With over 20 years' experience with many types and brands of pianos, we can give you an idea about whether your piano might have restoration potential. Although we can tell you the age of your piano if you let us know the serial number, we must examine your piano to provide you with an appraisal of its current market value or an estimate of the cost of restoring it. In evaluating a piano, we test items such as:
1 - Tuning pin torque: will they hold pitch? If they are loose, we might recommend repinning with larger pins or installation of a new pinblock.
2 - Condition of the soundboard and bridges: whether there are cracks that can be repaired, or whether there is sufficient downbearing to ensure good tone after restoration.
3 - Condition of the strings: corrosion, rust, remaining tensile strength, etc. If the piano is repinned, new strings are usually recommended as well.
4 - Condition of the action components: hammers, dampers, backchecks, wippens, butt felts, capstans, bushings, etc. If badly worn, these parts should be replaced.
5 - Condition of keytops. If ivories are missing or chipped, we might recommend replacing with new plastic. If black keys are badly worn, we might recommend replacing with plastic or ebony.
6 - Condition of keys and key bushings. If bushings are badly worn, they should be replaced. If they are tight, they should be regulated. Cracked key buttons should be replaced.
7 - Condition of underkey punchings. These should be replaced if worn.
Is the piano well regulated? Adjustments such as hammer blow distance, keydip, letoff, damper movement, etc. must be correct for the piano to play efficiently. Also, re-regulation is required when action parts such as hammers or knuckles are replaced, or when new keytops are installed.
8 - Condition of cabinet and bench. Veneer repair may be required, increasing the potential cost of refinishing.
Condition of lyre and pedal mechanisms. If bushings are badly worn, these should be replaced. Also, if the lyre is loose, it should be securely fastened with new bolts.
For an evaluation fee, we will provide you with a "Report & Service Offer" containing (1) a detailed appraisal report on your piano showing our opinion of its general condition, the cost of replacing it with a new piano of similar type and quality, its "as is" value, and its potential value after it has been restored., and (2) an estimate of the cost of restoration work. Our estimate will include prices for various options, from essential improvements to those which you might wish to include. If you sign a Contract with us to restore your piano, we offer to pick it up and deliver it after improvements are completed. Cost of pick up and delivery depends on your distance from our shop. Occasionally, we pick up pianos from outside Washington State. However, we may suggest that you arrange transportation to and from our shop if you live over 100 miles away from Bellingham, WA.
In some cases, we offer to purchase pianos that we evaluate. If we buy your piano, we will reimburse your evaluation fee! Don't hesitate to ask us how old your piano is--just mention the serial number and the make of piano. If you have more questions about your piano, we strongly encourage you to request an on-site evaluation. The evaluation fee may be the best investment you put into your piano!
Let us help you sell your piano!
"For Sale by Owner" and "Consignment Sale" Agreements are for a period of 1 year,
renewable at no additional cost at terms then current.
"FOR SALE BY OWNER FROM OWNER'S HOME"--We offer to tune your piano, to conduct a complete evaluation, to list it on our website at an agreed-upon Sale Price, and to direct interested potential buyers to your home. Our charge for these services, payable "up-front," is $150 plus the cost of any other services that you authorize. If you sell your piano to a buyer we refer to you, we will expect payment of a "Finder's Fee" of 3% of the Sale Price. Feel free to do your own advertising (e.g. Craig's List) and to sell your piano to any buyer--we will not expect you to pay us a "Finder's Fee" if you sell your piano to a buyer not referred by us. The buyer is responsible for the cost of delivery.
"FOR SALE ON CONSIGNMENT FROM OUR SHOW ROOM"--We offer to conduct a complete evaluation, to move your piano to our showroom, to list your piano on our website at an agreed-upon Sale Price, to tune it periodically while in our show room, and to complete arrangements for the sale and delivery of your piano. If we receive an offer below the Sale Price, we will contact you and let the potential buyer know your response. Our charge for these services, payable at pick-up when we co-sign a “Consignment Sale Agreement,” is $300.00 plus the cost of any other services that you authorize. The buyer is responsible for the cost of delivery. After selling your piano, we will reimburse you a "Payout" calculated as the Sale Price less a 10% commission. Feel free to do your own advertising and to tell your friends, but note that while the piano is in our show room we will act as your agent for the sale and will expect to receive a commission.
FOR OUR ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER, GO TO THE "HOME" PAGE.
email: rayklapwyk@rayspiano.com
