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For many piano owners, the piano is a family heirloom. As with most things age can cause some major problems for a heirloom. Ace Piano is centrally located in Oakland County Michigan. Our service area include the cities of Troy, … Continue reading
Click Here to watch as Craig goes thru the process of replacing backchecks on a Steinway restoration job
For more information call 248-624-0940
Piano key tops, whether real ivory or plastic will from time to time meet up with an enthusiastic young carpenter and the famous toy hammer. Of coarse, many other possible scenarios to numerous to list can be the cause of chipped piano key tops.
What ever the cause I can fix chipped piano keys. Ace Piano Inc. is located in Oakland County, Michigan. Our specialty is all things piano. Piano tuning and piano repair is what we do, and have done for more than thirty years. One approach to the chipped key issue is to change all the key tops. This approach will restore the keyboard of your piano to like new condition.
A second option is; fill the chips with plastic filler. Color can be custom mixed to match original color as close as possible. Take a look at my video that shows the repair process.
Watch our Video on: Fixing Chipped Piano Keys in Michigan:
Call Craig Cole at Ace Piano Inc., in Oakland County Michigan to schedule your piano service appointment today. Phone: 248-624-0940 or 248-647-6810
Ace Piano services pianos in Oakland County, Michigan, and many cities surrounding Oakland County. When I moved into the Metro Detroit area over thirty years ago and started my piano tuning company I had no idea what cities I could service and what cities and communities were just too far to travel, so I answered the phone and said, “yes, I service your area.” I love what I do, so a bit of travel time is not bad when you consider the wonderful clients I have met over the years.
As the years have gone by, I have refined my piano service area a bit, but I still say yes most of the time. My main service area is ALL OF OAKLAND COUNTY MICHIGAN. I tune and repair pianos in cities including; Troy, Rochester Hills, Rochester, Auburn Hills, Waterford, Lake Orion, Clarkston, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Southfield, Livonia, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Novi, Northville on a daily basis. I tune pianos in communities outside Oakland County such as; Grosse Pointe, Sterling Heights, Macomb Township, and communities to the west such as South Lyon, Milford, Brighton, Plymouth and Canton. All the areas listed are not charged for travel time or mileage. All clients in these areas pay a flat rate for tuning.
I have on occasion been asked to tune a piano at a lake front cottage up north, or a summer home in the Lansing, Michigan area. I am happy to travel to those areas, but travel time and mileage will be charged. One of my clients when asking about long distance travel to their summer home up north said, “you get what you pay for… you have tuned my home piano for many years, I would not want anyone else to tune my pianos.”
My name is Craig Cole, I am the owner/piano technician of Ace Piano Inc.
I’d love the opportunity to help you with all your piano service and repair needs.
For an appointment please call 248.624.0940 or 248.647.6810
Michigan is very hard on our pianos due to the ever-changing weather conditions in the state. Indoor humidity levels can be as high as 70% in the summer months, and plunge to as low as 10% in the winter months. This dramatic fluctuation of moisture in your home can have severe effects on your piano. The wooden structure and small wooden components of your piano’s action expand and contract. Piano keys can twist and warp, and the piano pin block can loose its ability to hold the strings at pitch.
At this time, I’m going to address the effects on the pin block. As seen in the video below the pin block is a plank of rock maple wood that has many small holes, which have tuning pins driven into them. These tuning pins must be tight enough to prevent the pin from twisting in the pin block, allowing the tension on the string to drop off. If the pin block no longer holds strings at pitch, the pin block must be removed, a new pin block is installed, and the piano is restrung.
The constant action of a pin block expanding and contracting, compresses the wood fibers around the tuning pin. Over time, this compression of the wood against the pin enlarges the hole in the pin block. When this has occurred poor tuning stability will result. If not caught early, and proper humidity levels have not been maintained during the winter months, [see video…humidity control] the piano owner will have a decision to make…replace the piano, or have the piano restrung and replace the pin block. Proper humidification during the cold winter months is an easy cost effective way to avoid unnecessary repairs and prolong the life of your piano.
Watch our video on Humidity Control for your Piano in Michigan:
To avoid over or under humidification of your home, purchase a digital hygrometer that measures your humidity levels. Forty two percent is the target humidity level. Watch for excessive condensation on windows, and make downward adjustments on your humidifier as needed,[see humidifier owners manual].
I have a shop in the Oakland County area of Southeast Michigan. Piano restringing and pin block replacement is a service I provide my clients. If I can be of help, or if you have questions concerning tuning instability, I’d love to help. You can reach me at 248-624-0940 or 248-647-6810.
Please check past blog posts for more information on humidity control, the Dampp-Chaser system, and dryness related problems. Your piano is worth protecting.
Piano owners in states like Michigan, will soon be playing and singing the blues. As we roll into the month of November, furnaces are drying the air we live in and our pianos are drying out. I have presented three options to help you manage the humidity level swings that are occurring now. Click on the video thumbnail to learn effective ways to prevent tuning instability, malfunction of the action of your piano, and in some cases structural damage that can render your beloved piano unplayable.
Craig Cole is a piano technician serving Oakland County, and surrounding communities of southeast Michigan. November through March are the optimal dry season months for piano tuning, and services such as action lubrication and action regulation. If you have questions about piano services Craig provides, or to schedule your piano tuning appointment please call Craig at: 248-647-6810.
This chart demonstrates how drastically pitch can change when your piano is exposed to fluctuations in the humidity during seasonal weather changes.
Your piano needs humidity now. I service pianos in the Oakland County Michigan area. My clients live in cities like Troy, Rochester Hills, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Livonia, Novi, Northville, and many other cities in southeast lower Michigan. One thing this area has in common is cold wintry days. This is the time of year we service our furnace, rake our leaves, and buy our boots and hats in preparation for the months ahead.
If you are a piano owner in a cold climate there is another thing you should prepare for; dry air in your home that will cause many problems with your piano. I have provided a photo of a rather severe dryness related problem. In the photo of the piano’s bass bridge a large split can be seen. This split is caused by years of dry wintry conditions that has caused the wood of the piano to become dry and brittle. Many other problems such as; tuning instability, sticking keys or the occasional note that will not play, cracks in the soundboard, and loose tuning pins are a few of the problems caused by winter dryness.
To avoid the expense of major repairs on your piano, HUMIDIFY. Humidity is cheap insurance that will protect your piano from the dryness monster. You can humidify your whole house with a furnace mounted humidifier or a stand alone console type humidifier that is rated for the number of the square feet of your home. If you choose either one of these two options you should purchase a digital hygrometer. This simple battery operated devise will help you zero in on the best humidity level for your home and the things in your home like the piano. As a rule of thumb 38 to 42 percent is a good humidity level to protect your piano.
A third option is a piano humidity system. I install the Dampp-Chaser system in pianos to protect the piano from the effects of both winter dryness and summer time excessive humidity. If you are thinking about protecting your piano I would be happy to discuss this option with you.
Now is the time of year to prepare your piano for the winter dryness that lies ahead. If you have a humidifier clean it, change the wicks/filter, and test it to see that it is operational. Also have your piano tuned and prepared for the times ahead with family and friends that will enjoy a well played Holiday favorite.
In the Oakland County area call: Ace Piano Tuning for an appointment.
A piano that is exposed to dry conditions such as a harsh Michigan winter or a piano that is old, may have a pin block that will no longer hold tension on the strings. The photo below is a pin block that was removed from a seventy five year old piano. The tuning pins that are seen in the pin block are finely threaded screws. They must fit in the pin block tight enough so they do not easily turn in the block.
The photo below shows a new pin block that is being fitted to the metal plate of the piano. When the fit is perfect, the pin block and plate are installed in the piano.
Piano owners that are told their piano is untunable will have to make a decision. Options include; do nothing, have a chemical applied at the base of each pin which may give a few additional years of tuning stability, or have the piano restrung and change the pin block.
Of the three options indicated, restringing is the repair of choice when the piano is a family heirloom, or the piano is a high quality instrument such as Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, etc.
Please watch the video below to get an over view of the restringing process. Ace Piano Inc. has been serving piano owners in the Metro Detroit area for close to thirty years. Only the finest replacement blocks and strings are used. Craig is an experienced and skilled craftsman that incorporates old world techniques, and up to date technology to deliver the highest possible end result…a piano that is able to provide many more years of beautiful music.
If we can be of help please call Craig at; 248-647-6810
Time sure does fly when we’re having fun! Once again, the holidays are upon us. It won’t be long and family and friends will be gathering for all the holiday fun. Many families celebrate around a piano. The piano gets dusted, the keys are cleaned in preparation for all the favorite tunes that will be played…but we forgot the note that stuck last year in the middle of that tune uncle Fred tried to play, or how that song little Suzie tried to play sounded more like a cat fight outside the window because the piano had not been tuned for ten years. The point is; pianos are used for our enjoyment at this time of year. This is a great time to have your piano tuned and checked so all will go well as the family enjoys all the traditions of the holidays.
This is also the perfect time to get the humidifier ready and operating. A digital hygrometer at hand to help monitor the humidity level of your home will pay huge dividends by reducing repair and adjustment costs caused by the reaction of your piano’s wooden parts to sudden dry conditions that are just around the corner. The target humidity level to maintain is 42%. You may have to make minor adjustments to that reading depending on your home and the individual nature of the way each home is built, insulated, and the type of windows you have in your home.
Craig Cole services pianos throughout the Oakland County, Michigan area. Give him a call today to schedule your piano service appointment. Main office phone number is 248-647-6810.