As a standard part of our dedicated aftercare programme at Millers, every acoustic piano that leaves our showroom is prepared by one of our experts and technicians before it leaves for the client’s home.
We often get asked what this process entails and how it physically affects the instruments, so today we wanted to outline the extensive checks that these pianos go through to ensure that they arrive safely in our clients homes and sound fantastic the moment the arrive with them!
Step 1: Tuning
The first step on our technicians' checks is to tune the piano and ensure that it is sounding as it should.
As it’s not uncommon for pianos to either slip their tuning during transportation or as they acclimatise to a new home, many manufacturers actually tune their pianos to be slightly sharp when they arrive with us, so our experts are then responsible for bringing them down to pitch.
Brands like the mighty C.Bechstein also do this by effectively over tensioning the whole system so that it is stable as we bring it to A440, concert pitch.
Learn more about this in our guide to standard Piano Pitch here.
Step 2: Voicing and Regulation
Once we are happy that the instrument is sounding as it should, our technicians will also check over the voicing and regulation of the instrument.
This can entail anything from ensuring that there are no sticking keys or if any of the felts on the piano may need a quick review or freshen up.
This is an incredibly delicate process and something again that is not uncommon for a piano perhaps to develop a slightly sticky key after acclimatising to its environment.
As these details can be so minute, this entails reviewing the instrument’s interior and can sometimes require some minor adjustments just to ensure the whole keyboard is balanced accordingly, especially over the break where the strings change direction.
Step 3: Cleaning, Polishing and Quality Checks
The final part of any piano preparation is the aesthetics of the piano and to ensure that the instrument is looking just as shiny and new as it should be!
Our teams will check over the cabinet of the instrument and make sure there are no marks on the instrument and get all documentation properly prepared for our specialist piano couriers to move the piano.
Overall, the length in piano preparation can take anything from just a few minutes up to a full day's work to ensure that everything is set and ready for the piano to arrive in your home.
All of this preparation work is recorded on our tuning system against the instrument and after delivery the instrument will be transferred into your name via the same system. We will then send all of your tuning reminders and record any details about the instrument on this record to ensure your instrument is always being kept in the best possible condition!
Want to learn more about our pianos or care we take in our dedicated aftercare programme? Contact our experts today or Book A Demonstration In Our Showroom!