Lusaka Piano Tuning Services

Good morning everyone. As Zambia's winter (is it going to happen this year??) approaches and humidity begins to fall you may find your piano getting a bit ragged. Now is the time to get it tuned. Call or whatsapp on 971195052 to make an appointment.

I have just done a complete overhaul of the action on this 1929 Challen baby grand. The dreaded moths had got into it and hardly any felts/cloths had survived - a few damper rail bushes, the capstan felts, and the hammers were all that was left. All the keyframe washers and backtouch baize, the hammer rest baize, butt bads, check felts, key bushings, damper felts and lift pads etc had to be replaced. Even the music desk slide lining cloth. The hammers had mercifully been left more or less untouched so a little gentle shaping had them right as rain again. Many of the ivory key tops had come loose and several were missing, luckily I had an old keyboard beyond repair that I could take replacements from. A few minor repairs to missing veneers on the cheeks and all was back to normal. Finally the wobbly legs had to be reglued into their bracket blocks.
Delivered back to a happy owner.

Funnily enough I also worked on another Challen baby grand last week (a bit later - probably 1940-50) that was barely playable with off sounding notes, dead notes and many not even striking the strings. Reshaping of deeply cut hammer heads and a full set-up and regulation had that one transformed.

Today I moved this Bernhard Steiner baby grand (yes the one that was at LICS some years ago) from the previous owner to a new home not too far away. Tuned up and ready for another player to practice.

Here's a Knight upright piano just come on the market. Has been looked after tho it currently needs tuning and a little basic maintenance. See also video in the comments below. UPDATE. This piano has been sold.

Started this morning tuning a Kawai upright freshly imported from China and only unpacked for a week. But in the afternoon I got to work on this very handsome large upright by R. S. Howard of New York. Circa 1920. She hadn't been tuned up for a while but took it well and responded well to a quick reshape of the deeply cut hammers and a regulation of let off buttons and back checks throughout.

The first of 5 pianos tuned today was this Bechstein parlour grand. It has a serial number 241053 but I can't make this fit with known serial numbers, especially as the case is clearly circa 1920 or so.
The Piano was "tropicalised" with brass pins holding the ivories onto the keys (they obviously did their job!) And all places on the case where glue joints might normally fail in Africa's swings between very high humidity and extreme dry air, are reinforced with brass screws, beautifully installed with their slots perfectly lined up - top cabinet work.
I had to remove encrustations from potter wasps and also glue (and reinforce with a large piano screw) the pedal box.
All tuned up nicely tho and a happy customer.

I tuned this Henry Herbert piano in Blantyre for the first time today. It was in pretty bad shape. But it cleaned up OK and seems relatively stable. AI tells me it was made by Mason and Risch in Canada with the serial number suggesting last quarter of the19th century. The tenor and upper registers were bright and full but I am afraid the coverd strings in the bass are pretty dull and lifeless. Unfortunately the much needed restring would cost many times the piano's value.

In the last post I mentioned detail in quality craftsmanship. This J&J Hopkinson from c 1910 is very fine quality construction and in pretty good condition given its age. Even still has its original key which so many don't.

In Lilongwe. This John Spencer of London. C1905 or thereabouts, transition between arts and crafts and art nouveau. I love the daffodil marquetry motif. Shame the candle sconces are missing. She needs new dampers at some stage on the birdcage action but a wonderful vibrant tone. Details count in manufacture.

Just finished this Daneman upright serial number 74793, made in 1956, that had been completely trashed by moths. I had to replace every cloth, felt, pad and washer including the dampers but managed to keep the original hammer heads. Also stripped and revarnished the casework. It is now with a new owner.