SOUNDBOARD & STRINGS, ACTION WORK, REFINISHING, TUNING

Klavierhaus’ atelier is one of the few remaining in the world where the art of piano crafting is still practiced without compromise. Our pianos resonate with lyrical qualities inspired by the expressive instruments produced by master piano makers in the 1900s.

We do complete interior and exterior piano work as well as routine maintenance.

For your convenience, we have identified the most common problems that piano owners might face:
SOUNDBOARD & STRINGS
  • Piano goes out of tune quickly
  • Cracks in the soundboard
  • Accumulated dust on the soundboard
  • Dead sounding bass strings
  • Short sustain in the treble
  • Treble strings breaking often
  • "Zinging" strings in the treble
  • Bent strings (causes false beats)
  • Poor sound quality: uneven string levels
  • Poor sound quality: strings not resting properly on bridge
  • Humidity issues
KEYBOARD
  • Keyboard too heavy or light
  • Keys too shallow or deep
  • Key return too slow
  • Noisy keys (hardened leather and felt)
  • Wobbly or tight keys
  • Flexing keys (poor power transmission)
  • Loose ivories
  • Cracked or discolored synthetic key covering
  • Worn or discolored black keys
ACTION
  • Slow response from sluggish action
  • Slow response from worn backchecks
  • Sluggish damper movement
  • Not enough power
  • Too bright or muffled
  • Hard to control
  • Excess inertia (key is difficult to move)
  • No singing tone
  • Slow repetitions (poor regulation)
  • Poor tone quality from the hammers
  • One-dimensional tone
CASE & REFINISHING
  • Old, cracked varnish
  • Chipped finish
  • Cracked case
  • Missing veneer
  • Water damage
  • Sun damage
  • Household wear and tear
  • Lost luster or sheen
  • Loose joints and hinges
  • Noisy and loose pedals
  • Frozen piano wheels
  • Shaking or wobbling piano
Our recommendations for tuning and maintenance:
TUNING, SEASON CHANGES, & HUMIDITY
  • 4 tunings per year due to living in 4 seasons
  • Tunings scheduled after each season changes and stabilizes (April, July, October, January)
  • Keeping a humidity stable environment (50% +/- 10%)
  • In-house humidifier or built-in localized humidifier Dampp-Chaser is strongly suggested.
  • If tuning is unstable, please see "Soundboard" section.