Our Services

Routine Piano Tuning
$170.00 + sales tax

Pianos need to be tuned once yearly on average to keep the piano in good working condition.
This service is recommended for you if it has been 3 years or less since your piano was last tuned.
This Routine Piano Tuning Service includes one complimentary pitch correction of 50 cents (half a semi-tone) or less, a fine-tuning, and up to 20 minutes of minor repair or regulation adjustments.
The piano is tension-based instrument that is structurally designed and built to be at A-440 pitch, and functions best, and lasts longest, when regularly tuned.

Benefits of regular tuning include:

1. Helping your piano’s strings to age better, and keep their elasticity longer, preventing premature breakage.

2. A piano professional regularly examining your piano and providing early warning of any new or concerning issues.

3. Being notified a year or two in advance (when possible and the piano has been serviced regularly) of a piano’s larger regular maintenance needs such as hammer shaping, parts replacement, or key rebushing. We refer to these things as a piano’s ‘100,000 mile work’. The kinds of things a piano needs when it’s been played and loved regularly for 10-20 years (depending on how much it’s been played and its environment).

4. Keeps pests at bay! Mice, roaches, and other vermin are less likely to get cozy and make themselves at home in your piano if it’s regularly opened for tuning. And if they try to, we will be able to sound the alarm, clean, and prevent their attempts to move in going forward!

5. Provides better ear training and pitch recognition for children and adults learning to play piano - helps learn an accurate sense of pitch, which will serve you well no matter where you go with music in your life!

6. Your piano will last longer and age better if properly cared for. A cared for piano can provide the joy of music for a lifetime.

For pianos that are heavily used (schools, churches, piano teachers, and etc.) every 6 months or more may be more appropriate.
Every situation is a little different and we work with you to determine the best maintenance schedule to keep your piano sounding joyful.

TLC Piano Tuning
$215 + sales tax

Has it been more than 10 years since your piano has been tuned? This is the service for you! The TLC Tuning service is for pianos that are 50-100 cents flat (that is half to one whole chromatic note flat).

Not sure your piano can be tuned? Our recommendation would be an Evaluation service, (to be sure the piano is able to be tuned), followed by our TLC Piano Tuning service.
The Evaluation, if done on a piano that can be tuned, will be included with no extra charge in this price of the TLC Piano Tuning Service, $215.00.
If, however, the piano cannot be tuned, then the price will be, instead, only the cost of the Evaluation service, which is $120.00, plus tax.

This TLC Piano Tuning service includes several tunings passes, called pitch corrections, to bring your instrument back up to the standard pitch.

We do this by carefully over-correcting the pitch and then tuning the piano to A-440 with a finishing tuning pass.
The number of extra passes depends on the condition of your instrument, and ‘life’ that your piano has had - such as whether it’s ever been stored in a non-temperature controlled space, if it’s been consistently exposed to large humidity fluctuations - such as a drafty basement, garage, etc., as well as how long has passed since it’s last tuning.

We use of the state art technology to measure the exact pitch of your instrument and provide pitch corrections and a fine-tuning.

50-100 cents is a very large adjustment to the pitch, and the piano will typically need another tuning in 3-6 months afterwards to maintain the progress of re-stretching the strings, so that the piano can settle and regain tuning stability. Piano strings are made of extremely thick gauge wire, which is why it takes time for strings to stretch out.
After that we can set up a personalized maintenance routine that is a good fit for you and your piano.

Please note:

We have also added an ‘Intensive Tuning Service’ to our booking options online.

This is for you if you can’t remember when your piano was last tuned, or if it has never been tuned. We will evaluate the piano and the pitch upon arrival in a thorough evaluation, and then give you the exact cost you can expect based on where the pitch is at.

The same rules apply as with the TLC tuning - if the piano cannot be tuned for any reason, or you opt not to have it tuned for any reason, you will only be charged for a service call. If it can be tuned and you opt to move forward with the process of re-stabilizing your piano, charges apply as follows:

100-200 cents: $270 + tax (this will take 3-4 hours)

200-400 cents: $350 + tax (this will take 4-6+ hours)

If your piano is 100 cents flat or more (200 cents, being two entire chromatic notes, 300 cents, being three chromatic notes, etc.), additional time and care will increase the cost of the service. Anything 100 cents flat or more takes around 3-4 hours to properly bring up to pitch, if the piano is structurally capable of having it done.

In these cases, it’s important to note that this is a process. Regular tunings create a stable state for your piano, and help preserve string elasticity, soundboard crown, helps you stay on top of maintenance needs, any pest issues, and humidity control. When we are starting this process anew, it takes several tunings closer together than usual to help your instrument recoup from this adjustment.

100+ cents is an extreme adjustment, and as such it will take some time and care to set the piano up for success going forwards! We try to save you as much money as we can, while also giving you honest information about the condition of the instrument and what it needs to be functional again. We will discuss your personal needs and use of the instrument and base our recommendations around your needs as much as possible!

We all know a black wall cannot be painted white with only one coat of paint. Rehabilitating a piano that’s gone many years without service is very similar: a piano this extremely out of tune cannot be brought to stability without multiple pitch raises the day of the initial appointment, AND more closely scheduled follow up tunings to help the piano regain stability as the strings stretch back out.

Usually pianos reach stability within a year - a year and a half , if our recommendations are followed. We have successfully tuned pianos that have gone untuned for as long as 40 years, and were as much as 400 cents flat.

Service Calls & Repairs

$120 + sales tax for a service call.
Includes trip and a half hour of work/troubleshooting, does *not* include any additional parts or supplies that may be needed.
After the first half hour, hourly rates apply.

We always discuss the service with you after finding the issue, and before performing repairs, both to help you understand your instrument even more, and to discuss the cost and make sure it is okay to proceed.

Something broken or not working the way it’s meant to?
Contact us to schedule a service call so we can evaluate the issue and your repair options.
Service calls help us assess the problem and find a solution. Sometimes we may need to order parts to do a repair, and we will contact you to set up a return appointment to complete the repair when the parts for your piano arrive.
Service calls can be for a myriad of reasons and we will be sure to take the time to address any questions and concerns you have while we are there.

Have a piano you were given? Or that hasn’t been serviced in a long time? An evaluation can give you a condition summary so you know what your instrument needs to get it back into good working condition. Evaluations are the same cost as a service call *unless* I am already in your home, church, school, etc. for servicing another instrument.
We provide estimates for work that needs to be done, and work with you to do what the piano needs to get it to the performance level you are looking for.
Note: if you require an official, North Carolina licensed appraisal for tax or insurance purposes, please contact us. We know a trusted local technician that is certified with the state to provide this service!

Pianos, like everything else, do tend to accumulate dust and some other things over the years. Whether it’s pencils, legos, or debris from mice, moths or other pests staying uninvited in your piano and leaving a mess - pianos need to be cleaned every few years (every ten at a minimum - grands that stay open all the time may need this service every 2-3 years).
Our cleaning service will get the dust (and whatever else we may find) out of your action and piano frame to keep the action free from debris and dust, prolonging the life and efficacy of your piano and preventing corrosion.
This Detailed Cleaning Service includes: •Removal of Action for thorough vacuuming of both action and keybed below.
•Easing of keys/lubrication of key pins where necessary - due to the humidity in NC, over the years of expanding and contracting due to seasonal humidity changes, the keys can become a little bigger than they were meant to be in the critical moving areas. Key easing gently compressing the wood back to its original state, and using a piano lubricant on the balance and front rail pins removes friction, providing ease of motion and a better playing experience.
•Grands: dusting of soundboard and pinblock areas.
•Uprights: Dusting/vacuuming of bottom board/pedal area.

•Uprights: Removing keys and cleaning keybed below, vacuuming dirt and debris from keys and performing same key easing and pin lubricating service as detailed above.
•Wiping case with soft microfiber dusting cloth or mitt.
•Cleaning keys where needed.
•Polishing pedals is available at a small additional charge. Refinishing pedals is a separate service.

Your piano will look AND feel better after this service!

How It Works:

Dampp-chasers are installed directly into your piano for a simple and effective direct approach to controlling the humidity for your instrument! They are safe, effective, and function well for 20+ years if properly maintained.
The safe humidity range pianos need to stay in is between 35% and 55%, for winter and summer. But often NC makes it difficult to achieve this!
Pianos are almost entirely made of wood, felt, and metal, and here in NC, we have lots of humidity, which affects all of these materials!

This humidity plays a huge role in the overall health of your piano, from tuning stability to how well the keys work, whether any mold develops inside your piano, and even whether any critical parts develop cracks from years of expanding and contracting with too much moisture and humidity fluctuation.
Dampp-Chaser systems come with a warranty, and the installation includes a pitch correction to offset the changes to the wood that occur after installation - these are changes for the better, such as excess moisture leaving the wood and allowing it to contract back to its proper place/size. The full system keeps the piano at 42% humidity at all times, which is the level where the wood is neither losing nor taking on moisture. This protects critical structural areas like your bridges, soundboard, and pinblock and prevents premature cracking and damage. We especially recommend that schools and churches consider at least the dehumidifier due to their regularly changing/turning off the thermostat.
The dehumidifier comes with a humidistat which controls when the dehumidifier rod turns on and off, so that there is no risk of over drying the wood. For very humid buildings, only a dehumidifier is usually needed. The full system is a wonderful investment, and we love how stable it keeps the tunings on our own pianos, as well as all the other benefits of stabilizing the wood! You’ve invested in your piano, and this system protects your investment for the lifetime that your piano is meant to last!

Services we provide include:

Voicing

Hammering Shaping

Hammer Steaming

Key Rebushing

Replacement Keytops & sharps

and more.
See our blog and FAQ’s for more information on these services - and we are always available for questions via, call, text, or email.