Armada H.S.

This is the core of what will help make this piano feel like new. The deviations in proper adjustment/alignment are significant. There are up to 8 adjustment points on each note on the piano. While the action is in my shop, I will disassemble the entire action and lubricate each pivot point, tighten each assembly screw, and make all necessary adjustments to bring back consistency. Hammers will be leveled, any adjustments needed to level the overall key height also will be made.

The other major part of the regulation process that will be needed will be to thoroughly realign the “key dip”. This is how far down the key descends when pressed. I noted in my visit that this adjustment was severely incorrect with far too much material underneath each key. This is contributing significantly to the stiffness of the feel of the instrument and making it nearly impossible for the piano to play properly. New punchings (the small washers that go under the keys) will be installed and the correct height will be achieved.

When the action is returned to the piano, further adjustments may and likely will be needed. This is normal and part of the overall process!

The tone of the piano also has become quite bright and almost piercing. This is not uncommon after years of playing, especially one in a public space as a school auditorium! The hammers, rather than soft and smooth as at the time of manufacture, become compacted and show grooves where the constant blows to the strings make permanent indentations. This is usually what makes a piano sound “old”. Thus, I recommend the voicing process to be done. While it is not bad enough to do on it’s own, it’s one of those things that is very important and ideal to have done when major work is being done on the action of the piano!

While the action is removed for the above services, the hammer felts themselves will also be attended to. Each will be individually serviced with a meticulous multistep process. First, the grooves are sanded down and the surface of the hammers made smooth again. Then, as determined, the felt will be revitalized with abrasives and aeration so the hammers are not only smooth, but soft as well. This results in a significant improvement in the overall tone of the instrument, and much more pleasing to play and listen to. It does not significantly affect the overall character of the piano, but takes the harsh edge off and combined with the above regulation steps, brings back a significant amount of musicality to the piano!

Each key will be removed, cleaned, and the interior of the instrument vacuumed out while the keys and action are removed, and each key returned and lubricated. After years of use, it is often surprising what will be found under the key bed of any piano that may be currently, or will eventually, affect the function of the piano!

As mentioned, when the action is returned to the piano, each note will be checked for functionality and final practical adjustments made. A fresh tune of the strings will also be done. If the time allotted during the return visit is not ample to fully complete the process, up to two additional visits may be needed to fully complete everything! This is all within the scope of the quoted price.

For up to three years, all work directly associated with this overhaul will be services free of charge in conjunction with regular paid tuning visits.
As long as I am the last one to have tuned the piano, this guarantee remains valid. Also, this does not include any broken parts that may arise during that time (I am not anticipating anything like that to happen, but if it does, that would be separate work to be quoted/performed).