We’ll take your piano from good to great!
We do piano tuning, servicing, restorations and much more. If it has anything to do with a piano, we’ll certainly be able to help. Have a look at our wide range of services below.
TUNING
You’re planning a soirée, but your piano seriously needs a tuning? With pleasure.
Pianos are made of wood and metal, which means they expand and contract according to the slightest change of humidity and temperature. It is therefore
necessary to monitor the pitch on a 6-monthly basis to ensure the correct pressure is exerted on the frame, bridges and soundboard. At regular tuning intervals we can also advise you of any changes in your piano, preventing further costly
repairs.
Pianos are designed to be at a certain pitch (A440-A442). In most cases, the longer a piano is left untuned, the more the pitch will drop (strings are like elastic and stretch over time). A pitch adjustment is often referred
to as a pre-tuning. If your piano requires a pitch adjustment – this can only be determined once we are at the piano – an additional fee will be charged.
TPP PIANO FACT: If you park a car in a garage and hardly ever drive it, things would start to break, right? It’s the same with pianos. They were made to be played. So, no matter how often or seldom you touch those keys, she always needs a regular check-up.
SERVICING
Although mum’s old piano is a gem, it doesn’t always run smoothly? No problem.
On many occasions a piano does not require full restoration and only a service needs to be done. Piano mechanisms need to be serviced and regulated on
a minimum 5-year basis depending on usage, wear and maintenance.
Services may include: reshaping of hammer heads; replacement of tapes, cushions, balance hammer leather, centre pins and some action parts; regulation, etc. With
a proper maintenance plan, i.e. regular 6-monthly tunings, smaller mechanical adjustments are done at no extra charge, extending the intervals between mechanical services. Servicing often includes minor repairs, such as loose key tops and
faulty sustain pedals. All our services include a 5-year guarantee and one free follow-up tuning.
TPP PIANO FACT: People often think that if their piano has not been tuned in 20 years, all it will need now is a tuning. But a quiet piano makes a nice home for critters who love munching on hammer heads and piano felt. Don’t fret though, we’ll see what the piano really needs and what your pocket can handle.
REFINISHING
Your piano’s cabinet is begging to be re-polished, painted or touched up? Yes, we can.
We re-polish pianos using the traditional hand French polish technique, this includes buffing and brass work. We also touch up cabinets.
If you’re looking for something less traditional, we have a very talented artist who can paint just about anything you want on your cabinet.
TPP PIANO FACT: Do you love treating your piano to some good old furniture oil? Please don’t. It can damage the polish. All you need is a clean damp cloth. Your piano will love you for it and our polisher will thank you for it.
SALES
Your home needs a new piano, or your piano needs a new home? How exciting!
The pianos in our showroom generally don’t stay here for long, so if we don’t have what you’re looking for, we can always try to help you find one. Whether
you buy a piano from or through us, it will always include a mechanical service, a 5-year guarantee on that service work, two tunings and another full mechanical service after 5 years, free of charge.
We’re still small, so we don’t
buy pianos from clients yet. We can however help you sell it by means of a consignment agreement. Sometimes this route takes a little longer, but if you want to make sure you are paid what your instrument is truly worth, or you want it to
find a home that will treasure it like you do, this is a good option.
TPP PIANO FACT: A decent second-hand entry-level piano should cost about R15 000. If you’re paying under R10 000 for a piano, it most probably needs service work and might give you problems in the future. Buying from or selling through us will give you all the peace of mind you need.
RELOCATIONS
Moving a piano, but you want professionals to handle it? We’ve got this.
Our moving team is highly professional with many years of experience in piano transport, and the same team is used every time. We move pianos within the Gauteng
area, but we can also assist with moves that stretch a bit further. All types of pianos are relocated, from small uprights to concert grands.
TPP PIANO FACT: Paying over a grand for your piano to be moved, might make you swallow hard if you know Oom Piet with his bakkie and his workers can do it for next to nothing. But if that piano is dropped or gets so much as a couple of chips and scrapes, it could potentially cost you thousands. It’s an easy choice when you put it that way, not so?
VALUATIONS
Want to know what your piano, or one you have your eye on is worth? We know our stuff.
A thorough inspection of your piano’s mechanism, soundboard, bridges, tuning pins, cabinet, frame, pedal system and keyboard is done, and you
will receive a valuation certificate and detailed quotation where applicable. A call-out fee is charged if you need your piano valued or inspected – this fee is refundable on acceptance of mechanical service or restoration. Valuation certificates
are issued on all our sales and restorations free of charge.
TPP PIANO FACT: Want to know what your piano – or one you have your eye on – is worth? We know our stuff. A thorough inspection of your piano’s mechanism, soundboard, bridges, tuning pins, cabinet, frame, pedal system and keyboard is done, and you will receive a valuation certificate and detailed quotation where applicable. A call-out fee is charged if you need your piano valued or inspected – this fee is refundable on acceptance of mechanical service or restoration. Upon request, valuation certificates are issued on all our sales and restorations free of charge.
RESTORATIONS
You’ve bought a gorgeous antique piano, but it needs a full restoration? Yes, please!
Not every piano is worth restoring. Whether your piano is a likely candidate for restoration depends on these factors:
We import all our parts according to manufacturer’s specifications, either directly from Germany or the current manufacturer of your instrument. Restoration is a massive undertaking. We take the utmost of care to ensure that your instrument is restored to its original condition, and this takes time. Intense research is needed to ensure this fact. Our restorations are done with the highest integrity and regard for your instrument. Restoration can take anything from 3 months and up, depending on stock availability and magnitude of the work involved.
TPP PIANO FACT: Restoration is not cheap, so you absolutely must make sure the company you use knows what it’s doing, otherwise you could devalue your piano. We might be small, but we have over two decades of experience and our senior technician has done spectacular rebuilds on Steinways, Bechsteins, Yamahas and many more – Brendan absolutely lives for this!
CLIMATE CONTROL
Your piano is either too dry or too damp and the insides show it? We have a solution.
We have a climate control system that is easily fitted in all upright and grand pianos. The system is designed to the keep humidity in your piano
at a constant 50%, which has numerous advantages, to name a few:
Each system carries a 2-year warranty and we give a 5-year warranty on installation.
TPP PIANO FACT: This climate control system is pricey, but if you have an expensive and valuable instrument, it could add years to your piano’s life and potentially save you buckets of cash in the future. The climate control system is an absolute must for concert or workhorse pianos.
REPURPOSING
As an instrument your piano is shot, so why not turn it into a coffee table? Now we’re talking.
Quite often, we do assessments or valuations and find that the instrument is worth almost nothing. Other times, we have a look at great
grandma’s piano, which has not been tuned in 40 years and there’s nearly nothing left of the beautiful old thing. Pianos carry mountains of sentiment for many people, so simply getting rid of them just feels wrong, right? So, don’t get rid
of it then, rather give it a new life!
You can turn pianos and their various parts into:
We take pianos in, no matter their state. So, if you know of an old piano that could do with a second chance, let us know and we’ll try to rescue her.
TPP PIANO FACT: This part of the business is still in its infancy, but our imagination knows no bounds. So, if you have an idea, we can help you bring it to fruition. Let’s put heads together and make something unique.