Services
Three tiers
Three tiers
of care.
Every visit is done on the bench, not by sending your piano away.
Tier 1
Essential Care
Tuning & light cleaning
- Tuning
- Pedal Adjustment
- Key Cleaning
Tier 2
Standard Maintenance
The Tune Up
- Tuning & Pitch Raising
- Interior Cleaning
- Minor Voicing and Adjustments
Tier 3
Comprehensive
Fixer Upper
- Half Day Service
- Tuning, and pitch correction
- Repairs and Adjustments
- Thorough Cleaning
How it goes
When your technician arrives.
A first appointment is as much diagnosis as it is tuning. Here's what to expect when a technician arrives.
Step 01
Listen
We play and measure the instrument as it stands, checking pitch, stability, touch and tone, before touching a thing.
Step 02
Advise
You get a plain account of what it needs now, what can wait, and what it would cost. No upsell.
Step 03
Work
Tuning and minor adjustments are performed on the spot. Additional work may be scheduled if needed.
Step 04
Return
Your technician keeps your instrument's history and comes back each season. Same person, every visit.
Questions
Before you book.
How often does my piano need tuning?
Most home pianos settle nicely on two tunings a year: after the heating season and after the damp. New pianos and hard-working instruments want more; we'll tell you honestly which yours is.
My piano hasn't been touched in years. Can you still help?
Almost always. A piano that has dropped well below pitch usually needs a pitch-raise first, then a fine tuning to settle it. We'll set that expectation before any work begins.
Do you service digital and player systems?
Rob Vela services Kawai digital pianos and the NV series. Click here for Yamaha AvantGrand and Yamaha/Bösendorfer Silent, TransAcoustic and Disklavier systems.
Is it worth restoring an old family piano?
The truth is that sometimes the sentiment outvalues the spreadsheet, and that's fine. Ultimately the decision is yours, but we do our best to guide you. We'll give you our honest opinion, an estimate for reasonable repairs, and let you know how far you should or shouldn't go with your piano.
How do I choose a technician?
SF Piano Works is a collective of technicians throughout the Bay Area who primarily work in their own region. However, if you would like a specific technician to come to your region, just ask if they can accommodate you.
Not sure which tier you need?
Tell us about your piano and we'll point you to the right service and the right technician before you commit to anything.
Ask a Technician