Fred Yonley, owner

Continuing Education

I attended the Piano Technicians Guild 50th Convention in Kansas City, June 2007. I helped with some tuning exams and was in charge of one exam in order to complete recertification in that area. There were 4 days of classes to attend in all areas of piano technology. I believe in continuing education because one needs to stay current and have interaction with fellow technicians. I hope to attend the 2009 Convention in Michigan.

PRICING

Please call me at 972-288-0849 to get a quote. Sometimes I'll ask a customer to play a few notes over the phone like middle C or A above that. I will then be able to tell how far the piano's pitch has drifted from standard pitch. I can then give an appropriate price. My price range is $125 to $175 on pianos in the Dallas area for tuning. Other service such as repairs and regulation are not included in the price of a tuning. I charge by the hour for small type repairs. More major work is either by the hour or by the job. Therefore when I mention $125 to $175, that does not include adjustments and repairs. I also have to charge state sales tax; this was first required in 1984 for piano techncians. That amount is added on to the final bill.

Introducing the $400 super service call for vertical pianos

Many pianos that I service need a lot more than a basic tuning and minor adjustments. Here is a list of likely things that a somewhat neglected piano may need.

1. Adjust the hammer rail and remove lost motion from the keys. Prior to that I tighten the main action bolts and rail screws. On some spinet pianos the lost motion can not be removed without first replacing the rubber grommets that connect to the back of the key. There is a separate charge to replace the grommets.

2. Reshape the hammers to remove the string cuts and improve the tone. Hammer spacing and some untwisting of the hammer shanks is often needed as well. Needle the felt to make the tone even and less harsh. If a customer likes it very bright, then I will do less needling. On some spinets and smaller consoles there will be an extra charge for spacing. The hammer flange screws can be very difficult to reach.

3. Tighten the action flange screws. On console pianos and larger and I like to tighten the hammer and whippen flange screws. On spinets it is much more of a major job to tighten the whippen flange screws and therefore I don't usually do that in this type service call. If the hammers are worn too much for such work, then I will recommend hammer replacement.

4. Check the pedals. Tighten the hold down brackets, lubricate for squeaks, replace pedal pivot pins if the pedals are loose (or determine some other cause) and adjust the pedals.

5. Tighten case screws.

6. Tuning and pitch raise if needed.

$1000 Super Service Call for Grand Pianos (2 days)

1. Reshape hammers, travel shanks, space to the strings and fit to the strings. Most grand pianos in the field need this work. There is a point at which it is better to replace the hammers than to reshape them. I will determine that when I am there tuning the piano. It has been said that 40% of a piano's tone is due to the hammers. There is tonal loss due to the grooves in the hammers and that loss is proportionate to depth of the grooves. Reshaping of the hammers will produce a more pleasant tone in most cases. If the basic hammer is extremely hard, then the tone may be brighter than before the filing. Needling of the hammers is usually required anyway. If the hammers are very hard, then more needling is needed. On some Asian pianos I have used a mixture of alcohol and fabric softener to make the tone less harsh. It would require a tremendous amount of needling to get the same results on that type of hammer.

The following pic shows hammers that is too worn for filing. If a technician were to attempt to get the proper shape, their wouldn't be enough felt left to produce a good tone. Keeping hammers shaped properly is not included in a regular tuning type service call. Worn hammers contribute to a condition that I refer to as "the clunker piano syndrome".

2. Space the repetition levers on the whippens to the hammer knuckles. Smooth up the knuckles using a medium grand sandpaper. The hammer knuckles get wear marks which need to be removed when spacing the whippens or whenever they start getting prominent. Worn knuckles also contribute to the "clunker piano syndrome".

The arrow points to one of the worn knuckles in the picture below.

The indentations are caused by the jack which rubs across the knuckle each time a key is depressed.

3. Tighten the action screws. This includes the hammer flange screws and the whippen flange screws. The whippen flange screws are the ones that seem to be the ones that are most neglected. That is because the action has to be reversed or removed to access them well. Loose action screws also contribute to the "clunker effect". The main action screws that hold down the action rails are tightened as well as those that hold down the action brackets.

4. Regulate the let-off and drop screws. Prior to this the an approximate hammer height will need to be set. Yamaha Corp. specifies a let-off of 2mm whereas Steinway recommends a closer let-off distance. Let-off is the point at which the hammer releases prior to striking the string. Regulate the back checks. Even up the hammer height. Poorly regulated pianos also cause the "clunker piano syndrome".

5. There are also other items that are not included in this type service call. The action pinning can be loose for various reasons. The action flanges can be repinned to give the proper tightness. If the various parts are sluggish or pinned too tightly, then I like to use Protek lubricant. There may be situations where it would be best to use a shrinking solution of alcohol and water. Lubrication is included. There are also various repairs that may need to be performed to get the piano playing properly. Those items are not included in this service call and would need to be estimated.

6. I like to use the 0000 steel wool to remove rust or corrosion from the strings. I then clean off the soundboard, tuning pin area and damper heads. I also vacuum under the keyframe. Since most grand pianos have a una corde pedal, the keyframes must be free to shift to one side. Objects that are often found under keyframes are paper clips, pencils, coins, hair pins and a lot of dirt and grime. The keybed must be free of these type items. Trying to use the una corde pedal with objects present can cause the keyframe to not shift completely or get stuck in the shifted position. If you don't feel the keyframe or keys return after using the una corde pedal, then you should have the piano serviced to determine the cause.

In the following picture the keyframe is lifted upward to show various items that were under it; I had already vacuumed out the dirt. I lubricate the glide bolts and the action return spring. I will be using an action support which mounts under the keyframe and is held in place by one screw. I also use a leather handle for pulling out the action which requires a screw that is inserted at the front of the keyframe. It is important to be able to easily pull out the action during the voicing procedure.

7. Seat the strings at the bridge. This is done by lightly tapping the strings down at the bridge. I do this with a wooden hammer shank. Raise or lower the pitch and tune the piano to A440 or the requested pitch level. I was recently requested to tune a Schimmel Grand to A443. My customer had been told by the manufacturer that A443 was their pitch level preference.

8. Needle the hammers to get the tone even and at the required level of brightness or mellowness. People have different concepts of the type of tone that they want. I like the treble to be bright. Otherwise I prefer the piano have a big and mellow type tone. I try to get rid of any pingy type sounds.

This super service call does not include all items of a complete regulation, but will get the piano sounding and functioning much better. A complete regulation also includes leveling the keys and setting the keydip. That additional work would get the price up to about $1400 and would be done within a 3 day time frame. An estimate would need to be made to get the price exact.

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QUALIFICATIONS

I have performed service work for Yamaha, Baldwin, Steinway, Kawaii, Young Chang and probably some others that I have forgotten about. I have received a lot of training from technical service personnel from these companies as well. I am a Damp Chaser Products installer and am on their list as being trained in that area. They offer a line of humidity control products that can protect you piano from the elements and make the tuning last longer.

I joined the Piano Technicians Guild in 1974 after passing the required exams to be a Registered Craftsman (This classification is now called Registered Piano Technician). Attending Regional Seminars and National Conventions is a very good way to attain knowledge about piano technology. I have also attended day long and/or multi-day classes provided by Steinway, Baldwin, Yamaha and others. I have also focused on servicing Steinway Pianos. They have some unique features that separate them from all the others. I have attended many Steinway classes on voicing, regulation, and damper action work. I enjoy working on Yamaha Pianos and their technical staff has been prominent in providing continuing education at PTG seminars.

I started my own company in 1974 and tuned for schools, churches, a few music companies and of course individuals. I have tuned for many schools in the Richardson I.S.D. since 1978. I have tuned for the Dallas I.S.D. since 1995. I have tuned at Booker T. Washington High school for the Performing Arts in the Dallas I.S.D. since 1995. It is one of only two such schools in Texas. I serviced the pianos at East Texas State University from 1975 to 1980 on a part time basis until I decided to concentrate on work closer to home. I will provide references on request. I don't see the point in listing various artitsts and musicians here.

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WORK OFFERED

I offer tuning (including concert tuning), voicing, regulation, action rebuilding and most repairs. I install Dampp Chaser humidity control systems. If your piano needs complete rebuilding, then I will recommend several facilities and mention the benefits of each.

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EDUCATION

Studied violin and viola in college.

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MUSICAL STUFF

Kennedy gave an inspirational talk .