CHINAS GOT TALENT, 23 YEAR OLD, ARM-LESS PIANIST

Armless pianist Liu Wei, 23 from China...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7CeoUZbW3Y

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO FULLY RESTORE A GRAND PIANO?

A common question we are asked is how much does it cost to fully restore a grand piano?

This is a difficult question to answer given the variety of grand pianos, however in short, the majority of grand piano restorations we do generally cost between $2800 - $5500.

Below is a photo of another happy customer of ours shortly after taking delivery of her retored 'Zimmerman' Grand Piano.



HOW IMPORTANT IS THE TUNING / WREST PLANK OF A PIANO?

The tuning plank (or wrest plank as it is sometimes called) of a piano is a treated and often laminated piece of timber that sits behind the iron frame. The tuning plank is the structural component that houses the tuning pins which are wound into the plank at a slight upward angle acting as an adjustable string base. In hot and dry climates such as those found in many parts of Australia, tuning planks are prone to dry out and cause tuning pins to become loose. For those looking to purchase a secondhand piano, the tuning plank is an important structural feature to take into consideration when making your purchase.

Below is a photo of the beginnings of a recent re-pin and re-string job to a baby grand 'Baldwin' piano. After having removed all the old tuning pins, we install the new pins with tuning pin installation powder to ensure a smooth tuning feel.



HOW TO TELL IF A PIANO HAS AN IRON FRAME?

People often call us asking how they can tell if a piano has an iron frame. There are 4 easy steps that can be followed to tell you if a piano has an iron frame rather than a wooden frame. These are as follows:

1. With the top lid open, look down inside the piano.
2. Whilst looking down inside the piano and looking at the back section, you should see approximately 250 tuning pins exiting the tuning plank.
3. Have a look around the tuning pins, if you can see or feel a metal structure running the length of the piano (Usually a gold colour) around the tuning pins, the piano has an iron frame.
4. If there is no metal structure around the tuning pins, the piano is most likely a wooden framed piano and may not be tunable.

Below is a photo of what the inside of a 'Zimmerman' brand upright piano looks like with the top panel removed. Note, the large gold coloured iron frame surrounding the tuning pins of the piano...



ELI MATTSON - SEMI FINAL PERFORMANCE

Yet another must see piano performance by Eli Mattson...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcrnwliD7CE&feature=related

ANOTHER RARE FIND ON AMERICAS GOT TALENT - PIANIST ELI MATTSON

Another rare find on Americas got talent, Check out pianist and vocalist Eli Mattson...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-ULPv47e8U&feature=related

RESTORATION TO IRON FRAME ON AN 8FT GRAND 'PLEYEL' PIANO

In many cases, a full piano restoration will include restoring the iron frame and soundboard. Below is a photo from a recent restoration job on an 8ft 'Pleyel' grand piano. In particular, this photo shows the process of re-spraying the iron frame in the original 'antique gold' colour. This piano was also fully re-pinned and re-strung following restoration of the iron frame and soundboard.  



AUSTRALIAS GOT TALENT - 'PIANIST' CHOOKA PARKER - DONT LEAVE THIS BLOG WITHOUT SEEING THIS GUY...

Check out Chooka - It will leave you speechless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ4mqmj3JuQ

LAUNCH OF E-ADMINISTRATOR - ONLINE BUSINESS SUPPORT WEBSITE

My wife Eloise is thrilled to launch her new business 'e-administrator', an online service to assist businesses with their administrative needs so that they do not have to hire new staff for short-term or ad hoc projects.

To celebrate the launch, Eloise is offering  a 10% discount on standard rates for all new customers until the end of June 2011. To get to the home page click on the following link...

www.e-administrator.com.au

RESTORATION OF AN 1875 FRENCH 'BORD' PIANO OVERDAMPER PLAYING ACTION.

 Below are the before and after shots from a recent job. This job involved the restoration of an upright playing action from an 1875 half iron frame, French 'Bord' Piano. This piano was a family heirloom left behind by a Great Aunt. Her dying wish was for part of her estate to go towards restoring the piano which she played on as a little girl. Although 'Bord' pianos are nearing the end of their usable lifespan, this was an important restoration job for the customer for sentimental reasons.

The restoration involved the following work:
          - Hammer Heads recovered (Treble only, bass were re-shaped)
          - Hammer butt flanges all re centre-pinned.
          - New Bridle Tapes.
          - New cushion felt.
          - Approximately 15 hammer shanks replaced.
          - New Hammer rest felt (Original purple colour sourced from another piano of similar vintage)
          - New damper felts.





 Piano Action before we started





 Piano Action after restoration

Mobile Piano Service proudly supports RSPCA and the Million Paws Walk

We are attempting to raise $100 before Sunday 15th may, 2011 for the RSPCA Million Paws Walk charity. All of the money will go towards finding a family for all the homeless puppies out there in Australia. To make a donation please visit the below link and follow the simple instructions.

http://www.millionpawswalkfundraising.com.au/joe_leaver

HOW MUCH DOES A PIANO COST TO REPAIR OR RESTORE?

A common question asked by most of our customers is; How much will my piano cost to repair or restore?

To begin with, these are very difficult questions to answer without physically seeing the piano. Pianos are like any piece of machinary with moving parts, the problems can range from very minor  to major. Just think, what response would you get from your mechanic if you asked; how much will it cost to repair my car...

What we can advise is that piano repairs and restorations generally fall into 3 or 4 categories, prices that can reasonably be expected within these 3 or 4 categories are as listed below:

General Service, making sure all keys work and the piano is tuned:          $150 - $300
Major Service, replacing broken or missing parts, fine tuning the piano:    $300 - $600
Restoration (Interior only, no cabinet work):                                            $600 - $1500
Restoration (Interior as well as exterior):                                                  $1500 - $3500

*Grand pianos can be significantly more to repair or restore depending on their size.

HOW TO TELL IF KEYS ARE MADE FROM IVORY

Piano keys can be thought of in two seperate sections. The front wider section of the key where the fingers touch is called the 'head' and the rear more narrow section is called the 'tail'. Ivory keys were almost always made from two seperate pieces of ivory. One piece for the head and one piece for the tail. If there is a join mark visible between the two sections, the key is most likely made from ivory. If there is no join, the key is most likely made from plastic.