Bay Piano Tuner
About
I learned the piano craft as an apprentice back in the mid 70's in a prestigious rebuilding shop. I worked there about 2 years under the direction of local Piano legend Bob Burton. I mastered all possible kinds of repairs, adjustments, complete rebuilding everything from historic nineteenth century antiques to modern top-quality concert grands. Since starting my own business in 1977, I have tuned and serviced all styles, sizes. While on my own, I have completely rebuilt and refinished many Steinway, Bechstein and Bösendorfer grands. I am also one of the few technicians who will work on Square Grands and Birdcages, the now rare antiques that have lasted from the mid 1800′s. I always endeavor to make my customers happy!
Highlights
No reviews (yet)
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Often new customers have not had their piano tuned in years or decades. I can quickly evaluate if it is wise to bring the instrument up to A-440. Having strings break is to be avoided! I can replace them but they will go flat very fast for the first 2-3 years and need to be tuned high and muted for that time. I also can address anomalies in the bass notes and minimize wound strings the have arguments. Also there are often beats in individual strings in the higher octaves that need to be minimized to create a tone that has a pure sound.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I apprenticed at Robert Burton's highly respected piano restoration company back in 1975 and learned the craft from experts.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
Generally I am asking for $195 to do a tuning that takes 2 hours, and I go over and re-set all 240 tuning pins to the optimal angle to establish stability. In the piano has gone flat, then all strings need to be raised in pitch. That involves a complicated technique which achieves a good tuning that doesn't have high and low areas. This takes some extra time and might cost an extra $50-75. Many competitors will do 2 tunings in this situation. Whatever the total comes to, I am offering a 10% cash discount to keep the cost as low as possible.
What types of customers have you worked with?
Everyone from beginning students to accomplished concert performers
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a pro in your area of expertise?
Some competitors will just go after the worst sounding notes, and skip others that are not sounding bad. They might be slightly off pitch, but sound OK by themselves. This shortcut can cut the time in half, and then they night be charging $20-40 less. But still they are earning close to $200 per hour and their tunings don't last very long. Find out how long the plan to spend!