ASB Piano Service
Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. -Victor Hugo
Adam Schulte-Bukowinski, Registered Piano Technician
Online Booking
I always want to give my clients convenient and flexible ways to contact me and schedule service for their pianos. With that in mind, clients can book appointments online with just a few mouse clicks! The process is very simple - simply click on the button below, and you'll be taken to a page where you can choose your service, view a calendar of available dates and times, and choose the one that works best for you. It's as simple as that!
Services
Piano Tuning
The piano is primarily made out of wood and metal. Wood is quite sensitive to humidity changes, while metal is quite sensitive to temperature changes. These two factors combine to produce an inherent instability in the piano, despite it having the greatest tuning stability of all stringed instruments. In climates such as Omaha's, where there are frequent and large changes in both temperature and humidity, pianos tend to go out of tune more quickly. If a piano remains untuned for long periods of time (even if it hasn't been played), the piano may fall so far out of tune as to be unplayable. To avoid this, it is recommended that you have your piano tuned at least twice a year in order to maximize stability.
Pitch Raising
Pianos are designed to perform best at A-440hz (concert pitch). If the piano has not been tuned for a year or more, and/or the piano has been in a climate that sees regular changes in humidity and temperature, even if the piano hasn't been played it can drift so far away from concert pitch that it is no longer possible to actually tune the piano without first bringing the overall pitch of the piano back up to A440. In such a situation, the technician will perform a pitch raise - a rough pass that brings the overall pitch of the piano close enough to concert pitch that a proper tuning can then be done. If your piano was drastically out of tune, it is recommended that you have your piano tuned again within 3 months of a pitch raise, in order to ensure that the strings stabilize as much as possible at or near concert pitch.
Regulation
A piano's action is incredibly intricate - with over 35 adjustable points per key in a grand piano (that's over 3,000 adjustment points across the keyboard!). Regulation is the adjustment of the mechanical aspects of the piano's action in order to compensate for normal wear, compression of felt parts, and dimensional changes due to humidity fluctuations. As parts wear, compress, and change from humidity, the piano may become more difficult to control. If you've found that your piano is harder to control, both in terms of evenness of touch and dynamic control, then your piano is a good candidate for a regulation.
Voicing
Voicing addresses the tonal characteristics of the piano, and is separate from tuning (though a piano should be in good tune before voicing work begins). Every piano has its own sound - some sound warm and full, others bright and "glassy." Through voicing, or manipulating the hammer felt, your technician can adapt the sound of the piano to better suit your tastes or to compensate for deterioration in tone due to normal wear.
Repair
Repairs encompass everything from finding and fixing the source of that annoying buzz to replacing a broken string or action part. Most repairs can be completed in one visit, however in certain cases, such as bass string replacement, parts specific to your piano must be ordered, and a follow-up visit must be scheduled to complete the repair.
Humidity Control
Does the humidity vary greatly in your home depending on the season? Does your piano not hold its tune very well? Large and repeated changes in humidity (usually accompanying the changes of the seasons here in the midwest) wreak havoc on a piano's tuning stability and can shorten the life of your piano. One popular option to address this problem is the Dampp-Chaser piano humidity control system, which can greatly reduce the effect of those humidity changes, leading to a more stable piano that holds its tuning longer and is healthier in the long run. I am a certified Dampp-Chaser installer, and would be happy to consult with you about the best options for your piano.