The term “art case” refers to a piano cabinet that has been visually enhanced. Historically, pianos were often owned by aristocrats and royalty, their appearance mirrored the opulence of a palace or echoed the trends of the day. They often featured exotic cuts of wood or intricate carvings. But as the piano has become more… Read More


I’ve heard this statement many times. In fact it happened when I was a young. The piano teacher states, “Your children are at a level now where it would be helpful to have them practice on a grand piano”. But is there any substance to this statement? Is there validity in upgrading to a grand… Read More


It’s inevitable that chips will happen and pianos will become damaged. In my estimation, the majority of accidents happen because of sloppy piano moving practices. Regardless of the cause, however, the repair needs to be done. Contrary to surface scratch repair that we learned about last month, chips have a different process. As we learned,… Read More


It’s inevitable that pianos will get bumped, scratched and scuffed. High polish finishes are like mirrors and when something unfortunate happens, it can be not only disappointing but daunting to know how to remedy the situation. In this 2-part series we are first going to investigate removing scuffs and hairline scratches and then in the… Read More


Like many industries, piano retail and manufacturing have had challenges during the 2021/2022 years. Demand remains strong for purchasing pianos but piano makers have faced difficulties supplying product. When Covid struck in 2020, the general public spent a lot of time at home and there seemed to be a collective thought, “I should take up… Read More


Aside from tuning the piano, there’s one question that gets asked more than any other. “Can you fix a sticking key?” The term ‘sticking key’ refers to a mechanical failure where a piano key is depressed and it doesn’t return to its normal position in a timely manner. It can happen on new pianos and… Read More


Recently, silent or quiet pianos have become more prevalent in piano manufacturing. In fact, in our Virtual Piano Trade Show, it seemed that silencer systems were a very popular theme this last year. What are these pianos they call “silent”? It sounds paradoxical doesn’t it? Why make a piano that you can’t hear? And why… Read More


It’s obvious that car makers in the 60’s were looking at the birth of air travel as the way of the future. Hood ornaments and emblems were symbols of flight with angelic creatures or airplanes. Tail-lights like jet engines were positioned on top of side “wings” and the trim, made to look aerodynamic. All of… Read More


  It’s not every day a new concert grand gets unveiled. In my mind, concert grands are the Formula 1 pianos where a company invests the very best in technology, materials and workmanship to present their utmost to the world. This year at the NAMM show (pre-covid in January 2020), I had the opportunity to… Read More