At the Piano Shop in Bath we have a comprehensive workshop facility on site with our own qualified and experienced technicians able to repair or restore most kinds of pianos. In addition, we have an extended capability of associate local technicians with essential and diverse skills who are able to add to our total capability.
The range of work we undertake can be as minor as a tune-up and regulation; to full restoration of the casework, soundboard, wrest plank, re-stringing and re-felting of hammers and associated parts. Much of this work can be carried out at the customer’s premises, or bringing appropriate parts to the workshop where we have specialist tools, processes and instruments. However, if we do need the whole piano in the workshop (upright or grand) then our removal team will assist.
Many customers may have mused as to what is the best thing to do about the piano they have in their home, or perhaps the one given to them by an older family member. At the Piano Shop we can advise what might be the most appropriate action to take. We can advise on the book value of the piano before and after work is carried out, to help ascertain cost effectiveness.
Most pianos can have their youthful performance rejuvenated. However, some may simply be unworthy, unless of course it is an heirloom and therefore of sentimental value. Whatever the reason, whatever the condition, whatever the desired outcome, the Piano Shop’s workshop can help determine the optimum result.
Relatively minor work …..
- Tuning and regulating (can be carried out at home)
- Broken strings or ones that drop out of tune (can be carried out at home)
- Replacement of broken hammers (can be carried out at home)
- Sticking notes or ones that simply don’t play (at home or workshop depending on severity)
- Damaged casework, whether French polished, lacquered, painted, walnut, rosewood, mahogany,
oak, gloss, matt, satin ….. which may need some carpentry (usually carried out in the workshop)
More significant workshop activities …..
- Repair or replacement of the soundboard
- New wrest plank, together with full or partial restringing
- Fitting new pins
- Key bushings
- Full or partial refurbishment of the action
- Re-felting key components and fitting new hammers
Typically each piano has about 80 separate components for each of the 88 individual notes
(7,040 parts all needing to work in unison) and without counting the number of strings.
Piano casework projects undertaken in the workshop
- Bringing that old tired wooden casework back to life
- French polishing
- Painting the whole piano in a bespoke colour to match a customer’s décor
- Gloss re-polishing
- Piano Design – visit this section on our website
- Repair to veneer or badly cracked polyester gloss surfaces
The Workshop regularly takes a very tired piano and restores the action and chassis it to its former glory with most components being either replaced or refurbished to ‘as new’. With the casework being fully re-polished, painted, re-glossed, and with new manufacturer’s decals added, we sometimes have difficulty explaining to customers that in fact the piano they are playing and admiring is 120 years old.
Our technicians have a great deal of experience with top brands such as Steinway, Bosendorfer, Bluthner, Bechstein, Broadwood, Yamaha, Kawai, Boston, and those of many other reputable piano manufacturers.