Benjamin Piano in Langhorne offers “noteworthy tuning and service.” The company performs piano tuning, general repairs, regulation, appraisals, cleaning, humidity control system installation, and smoke damage repair. Piano tuning is $125, with an additional charge of $40 to $75 if a pitch raise is required.
Bill Carmichael Piano Tuning in Chalfont is owned and operated by a full-time tuner who tunes pianos by ear and has over 25 years of experience. Owner Bill Carmichael tunes pianos for homes, schools, churches, restaurants, and concert venues. He entered the business through family and apprenticed under Frank Sinatra’s tuner. The company promises that all work performed is “honest and professional” and that all services are fully guaranteed. Services include tuning, repairs, estimates and appraisals, cleaning, action regulation, and voicing for all types of pianos. In a client testimonial, the company’s quality of work is described as the “best in the business.”
Bill the Piano Tuner in Philadelphia has been tuning and repairing pianos since the 1970s and has tuned “over 18,000 pianos to date.” In a client testimonial, the company’s owner is described as “the most reliable and accurate tuner in the entire tri-state region.” He is also a registered piano craftsman and a Master Piano Technician of America.
David G. Tennett Piano Restoration in Perkasie has been providing “high quality handcrafted piano restoration, including piano refinishing and rebuilding” since 1976. The company also offers tuning for home, concert, school, church, and recording studio pianos, performed by technicians with “at least 20 years of experience.” Vintage pianos are occasionally offered for sale.
Donald Roberts Piano Service in Drexel Hill has specialized in piano tuning and repair services since 1977. Owner Donald Roberts’ pledge is to make customers’ pianos “sound as good and play as well” as they possibly can. Donald is trained to tune pianos by ear following an “equal temperament” system but also uses a Sanderson Accu-Tuner device. In addition to tuning, the company offers regulation services, including the evaluation and replacement of hammers, dampers, action screws, and keys. Customers can use an online booking system to schedule appointments on the company’s website.
Keller Piano Service in Phoenixville has provided “exceptional piano service since 1972,” offering tuning, voicing, and action regulation services. Additionally, the company performs piano and bench repairs, restorations, cleaning, brokering, appraisals, and piano moving. The company’s owner is a registered piano technician with the Piano Technicians Guild. Office hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 am to 8 pm.
.jpg)
LeGrand Piano Services houses a skilled piano tuner and musician, serving customers in and around the Philadelphia metro area. It specializes in piano tuning, double tuning or pitch raise, and piano repair services, which include fixing broken pedals and sticking keys, as well as replacing or regluing worn or broken parts. LeGrand Piano Services also provides more complex services, such as hammer voicing and tone regulation, complete restraining, complete action regulation, and other restorative work.
Philip Jamison Pianos in West Chester has been in business since 1971 and offers piano tuning and repair services. Standard tunings typically take between 60 and 90 minutes, and any minor or major repairs are not included in the price of tuning. For pianos requiring major repairs such as restringing, pinblock replacement, or refinishing, the company will transport the piano to its shop. Piano rentals for parties, recitals, and concerts are also available.
Philly Piano Tuning is a full-service piano maintenance company serving the Philadelphia area and surrounding counties. It aims to make clients love playing their pianos by providing full-service maintenance, from fine-tunings to complete and custom restorations. Philly Piano Tuning offers standard, full-service, and pitch correction tuning options. It also offers grand and upright piano overhaul (half-day and full-day), caster cup and piano dolly installation, Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver System installation, and insurance evaluation and appraisal.
Ralph Joseph Onesti Piano Restorations in Woodlyn offers “professional, courteous service in the home and on the concert stage.” The company has received an A rating in Angie’s List and is registered with the Piano Technicians Guild. Owner Ralph J. Onesti is a master piano technician and has over four decades of experience. The company maintains records on all serviced pianos and will contact customers who are due for a tuning. Services include tuning, pitch correction, in-home repairs, major shop repairs, voicing, regulation, appraisals, cleaning, and PianoDisc installation.
Tom’s Piano Tuning is a Lansdale company offering piano tuning, repair, and rebuilding since 1977. The company’s owner is a professional musician, music teacher, and piano technician who has “spent a lifetime in the field of music performing, teaching, composing, and arranging.” Pianos are tuned by ear and with a software application, a combination that results in pianos that are “clear, resonant, and pleasing to the ear.” Additional services include key replacement and piano bench repairs.
Woodworth Piano Service in Garnet Valley is a locally owned company whose four owners have over 100 years of combined experience. Tuning is performed by ear, without the assistance of electronics or devices. Standard tuning costs $125, and double or triple tuning with pitch raise costs between $185 and $225. The company also repairs sticking keys, broken action parts, damper issues, keyboard regulation, and touch problems. A full-service shop is also available for major repairs and rebuilding. Repair and restoration prices are determined after a thorough evaluation.
Piano tuners make minor adjustments to the tension on a piano’s strings. These adjustments help ensure the piano’s musical intervals between the strings are in tune. A piano tuner isn't the same as a piano technician, who can do more extensive repairs on the instrument.
Tuning a piano is a very delicate process that takes a slow hand and a careful ear. Piano tuners use a tuning lever tool to slowly adjust the piano pins. The pins are turned to loosen or tighten the strings until the piano plays notes clearly.
Generally speaking, it’s best to have a piano tuned twice a year as part of regular maintenance. However, if you live in a climate with extreme temperatures or high humidity, you may need to have your piano tuned as many as four to six times a year.
Most piano tuners will schedule your appointment for two hours, although the actual work should only take around an hour and a half. If your piano is extremely out of tune or hasn’t been tuned in a while, it might take two and a half hours.
Yes, tuning a piano is hard. The tuner has to test every string and listen if the sound produced is off-note. Piano tuning requires a good ear, a steady hand, and patience. If done incorrectly, the piano can continue to pay off-note. Or, even worse, the strings may snap.
You'll need to buy specialized tools to tune your piano. It’s not impossible to do it yourself, but it will take considerable time and patience. If it takes a professional two hours to tune your piano, you can expect it’ll take you twice as long. You can watch some online tutorials to get started.
Electric pianos don't usually require tuning the way an acoustic piano does. However, electric pianos do require other types of maintenance work, usually around the mechanical aspects of the instrument. An electric piano can go out of tune, but it’s rare. If this happens, tuning will be necessary.
To tune an upright piano:
Start by playing the piano key while ringing the same key on the tuning fork. If the piano is out of tune, there'll be a warble between the two sounds. Keep tightening or loosening the string until the piano plays the same note as the tuning fork.
A piano tuning can cost between $65 and $225. The final price will depend on how out of tune your piano is and, therefore, how much work it needs. Additionally, prices can vary based on your location, whether the piano also needs repairs, and if it’s regularly maintained.
A grand piano is much larger than a regular piano, so it naturally costs more to tune. On average, a grand piano costs $200 an hour to tune. Since piano tuning can take 1.5-2.5 hours, the total cost may be between $300 and $500.
No, it’s not common or expected that you tip your piano tuner. If you use the same piano tuner repeatedly, you may consider giving them a tip or a gift around the holidays. Or, if you ask your piano tuner to do something extra, such as moving the piano, you might consider tipping them.
Tuning a piano perfectly is technically impossible because no one has a perfect ear. So, even after a tuning, a piano may still be slightly off note. Additionally, a piano’s strings are so sensitive that immediately after a tuning, something may change the string positioning again, such as a sudden spike in humidity.
This is a popular joke:
Individuals who want to be a piano tuner will need to complete a training course, usually followed by an apprenticeship. Piano tuners have to practice on thousands of pianos before becoming an expert in their field. It also helps to have a basic understanding of how to play the piano.
The average annual salary of a piano tuner in the United States is $48,796. Of course, this can vary greatly depending on the person’s experience, location, and hours worked. Most piano tuners work for themselves as freelancers, so ultimately, they dictate how much they earn by how much work they take on.
