Wednesday 27 April 2011

NOTE BY NOTE: THE MAKING OF A STEINWAY PIANO

CHECK OUT THE BELOW LINK TO THE DOCUMENTARY: NOTE BY NOTE:THE MAKING OF A STEINWAY GRAND PIANO AS SHOWN BY ABC 1 ON 24/04/2011. I HAVE ONLY SEEN 3 STEINWAY PIANOS DURING MY PIANO TUNING CAREER AND WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE INVOLVED IN THE RESTOARTION OF AN UPRIGHT GRAND IN 2002.


http://www.abc.net.au/iview/?series=2598154#/search/notebynote

Friday 15 April 2011

How much does it cost to transport a piano?

We often have people enquire about how much pianos cost to be transported. The following is a rough guides as to what to expect to pay in most capital cities around Australia:

Upright Pianos
Door to door, no stairs, up to 30kms                    -                     $150
Door to door, some stairs, up to 30kms                -                     $200
Door to door, up to 100 kms                                -                     $300
Door to door, up to 200kms                                 -                     $400

Grand Pianos
Door to door, no stairs, up to 30kms                    -                     $300
Door to door, some stairs, up to 30kms                -                     $400
Door to door, up to 100 kms                                -                     $500
Door to door, up to 200kms                                 -                     $600

Friday 1 April 2011

What do I look for when purchasing a secondhand piano?

When buying a second hand piano there are 3 main factors to consider?

1. Has the piano got an 'iron frame'?
2. Is the piano 'over-strung'?
3. Has the piano got an 'underdamper' action?

1.Wooden frame pianos are now obselete and cannot be tuned to concert pitch. When inspecting a piano to determine whether it has an iron frame, lift the top lid and look down into the piano. If you see any iron framing around the tuning pins, the piano most likely has an iron frame.

2. With the top lid of the piano still open, have a look at the way the piano has been strung. If the larger double wound bass strings travel from left to right crossing over in front of the treble strings, the piano is overstrung. If the larger double wound bass strings travel straight down in the same angle as the treble strings the piano is most likely 'Straight Strung'.

3. With the top lid of the piano still open, have a look straight down into the piano action. If you see 88 white hammers (Approximately 2 inches in length) that travel towards the strings when the keys are depressed the piano has an 'underdamper' action. If you see a long wooden board approximately 3 inches wide and running the length of the piano, the piano most likely has an older style 'overdamper' action.

Aside from these three important factors, there are other more minor factors that are to be considered such as cracks in the soundboard and tuning plank. If you are at all unsure, contact Mobile Piano Service for a valuation / assessment of the piano.