Costs

Pitch Raise ~ Repairs ~ Regulating

K E N F O S T E R
P I A N O T U N I N G S E R V I C E S
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(801)553-1541

Pitch Raise

If your piano has not been tuned for a long time (a year or more), it could be as much as a quarter step or more out of tune. As a result, bringing the piano up to pitch could add over two tons of pressure to the frame and plate. This requires tuning the piano two or more times to equalize the tension along the entire harp of the piano. If this is not done, as one section of the piano is tuned, the warping effect would cause the other sections to go out of tune.

If there are major problems with your piano, such as cracked bridges, tuning pins that are extremely loose, rusted or corroded strings, it might not be possible to raise the pitch to the correct tension (without some major repair or rebuilding work). There also might be the possibility of breaking strings.

If you would like to know in advance if your piano needs a pitch raise, you can call and play several of your notes over the phone, I will be glad to measure the difference from the standard (A=440HZ). If the note is 20% or more off, it will need a pitch raise.

Scheduling regular tunings two to four times a year should help in alleviating most major pitch problems. Installing a humidity control system in your home, or piano would also greatly benefit your instrument.

The costs for a pitch raise is $35.00 (15% to 80% off). If a piano is severely out of tune (over 80% ~ rare cases), you might want to consider a gradual increase over a few months to a year. This would allow the strings to adjust to the increase tension, and help in avoiding broken strings. We also would be able to determine if the cause is perhaps in the frame, pinblock, bridge, etc. There are some "quick" fixes that I can perform if needed.. (i.e.: pin tighter, installing larger pins, etc.)... I will be glad to work with you (both on costs and time) if needed.

Repairs
Costs will vary depending on what is needed. The most typical repairs are sticky or rattling keys, broken strings, broken or missing hammers, chipped or missing key tops, and occasionally broken parts in the action itself.

The costs for strings can run from $3.00 (for thin treble strings) to $27.00 for double wound bass strings (custom order). If your piano has accumulated an excessive amount of dirt, rust, or other problems, we could replace the entire set of strings.

If you need to replace the white key coverings or the black keys, because they are worn, broken or chipped could cost from $350 to $500 for the entire set (possibly more). Much of this depends on whether you need to have them replaced with satin, or plastic tops. If they were replaced with "used" ivory, it could run into the thousands. In addition, once the keys are reinstalled, there would also need to be some realignment which usually means balance rail pin adjustments, front rail key pin adjustment, bushing replacement and easement, and key depth adjustments.

You also might consider replacing the hammers if they have been reshaped, voiced and regulated a number of times. This would bring back resilence to the touch, and improve the overall tone quality of the piano.

The rate for repairs is $45.00 an hour, billed in quarter hour increments, plus the costs of materials. The entire cost of a repair is difficult to quote, until I start working on the piano, however, I will give you an estimate, and will not exceed that estimate without your approval.

Regulating
Action ~ Tone
Regulating consists of adjusting the action to make everything work properly. If you find that playing your piano feels a little rough and uneven, or that it requires more articulation to perform, you might consider having your piano regulated. The affect of weather and humidity on the various wood, felt and leather parts of a piano will cause the tuning and action to go out. Regulating should solve most if not all of these problems. Tone regulating consists of changing the tone quality, usually by making the hammers softer or harder.

On upright pianos, there are up to 25 points of adjustment, on a grand, up to 35 points of adjustments for each key. This can be quite a time consuming project, since a typical grand has over 3,000 adjustments. Many of the nearly two to three thousand adjustments need to be calibrated to within 1/16th of an inch or less. However, once done, your action should feel even to the touch, responsive to your interpretations, and overall be a very exhilarating experience to play.

Typically, an action should be regulated every three to five years. If it is much more, and I know of many who have never had there pianos regulated, the adjustments could be numerous.

The costs typically would run from about $200 to $700. Often a piano that has been played for many years, would also need to have the keys voiced, which usually involves reshaping the hammers eliminating the deep grooves that have formed. Once this has been done, then the action could be regulated.

Voicing a piano, requires a lot of patient hammer head adjustments. This involves various techniques from using steam, hammer irons, to needling the felt at different points, which loosens the fabric, causing the note to sound more mellow at different volume levels. For example, you might want the note to sound a bit more mellow when you are playing mezzo forte, or perhaps brighter when you are playing pianissimo.

It could also be that the piano sounds too mellow, and needs to be adjusted to sound brighter. The goal is to have a very smooth tone quality throughout the entire piano.

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