Besides regular service by a qualified technician, is there anything more I can do to protect my investment and care for my piano?
Yes. By installing a humidity control system known as a Piano
Life Saver (Dampp-Chaser), you can maintain your piano's soundboard
at an ideal 45% relative humidity. This will keep the piano sounding better in between tunings, help keep the action (touch response) consistent, and prolong the life span of
the piano. Arizona is a dry climate, but the humidity still changes significantly at times. It is that change in humidity that causes the piano's wood to expand and contract seasonally, or with changing weather. This not only throws the piano out of tune, but weakens the wood's cellular structure, eventually causing serious damage.
My piano has a Piano Life Saver system, and I would not invest in a piano
without one installed. It's worth every penny, and easily pays for
itself in the long run. Many people assume a room humidifier will be a better solution, but room humidifiers will cost more to buy and operate, and achieve inferior results in most cases. Unless you have a very sophisticated expensive system that uses a large amount of water and electricity, and are willing to maintain it constantly, you cannot expect to achieve better results. The Piano Life Saver is so practical and effective because it only needs to regulate the small "micro-climate" of air immediately surrounding the piano's soundboard!
What else can be done to protect a piano?
Make sure the piano does not receive any direct sunlight. Ultraviolet
rays will destroy your piano's finish, and the daily cycles of heating
and cooling will be damaging to the piano. Keep
drinks and fluids away from the piano at all times. Whenever possible,
keep your piano away from fireplaces and heating/cooling ducts. For
grand pianos, it's best to close the lid completely when not in use.
This keeps dust and airborne particles (like cooking oils) from accumulating
on the strings, soundboard and plate. If you insist on keeping the
lid open, a felt string cover is a good investment.
How can I avoid being ripped-off when purchasing a piano or having it serviced?
Honestly, the best thing you can do is
to educate yourself. The more you know about pianos, the better you will be at choosing the right piano dealer, the best piano, and also finding a skilled technician who will be not just provide competent technical service, but also be able to listen to and understand your needs as the piano's owner. A good place to start is The Piano Book by Larry Fine, and visit his Piano Buyer website.
Regarding used pianos, I cannot stress enough the importance of having the piano professionally evaluated before you purchase one, or even accept one as a free gift. Even a free piano costs money to move into your home. Unfortunately, many people buy a used piano for very cheap, thinking they are getting a great deal, only to find out later that the piano has major problems. All too often, these "Craigs List Specials" are then re-sold to someone else who also fails to have the piano checked out. Remember that pianos are similar to cars in many ways. If you find a car for $300, it's probably priced that way because the person selling it did not want to pay the thousands of dollars it would take to make it safe or road-worthy. Very often, the cost to service a neglected piano can be much greater than the cost of buying a more recently manufactured piano that is already in decent shape. Also remember that some pianos were designed for the very lowest end of the market (the case for many spinet or drop-action models), and they were not of high quality when they were brand new. To spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to bring such a piano back into decent working condition might yield disappointing results.
This answers only a handful of questions. If you have other questions
about caring for your piano, please give us a call.