- usedpiano.html -- tips for prospective used-piano buyers.
- pianoaction.html -- a peek under the hood, with diagrams of piano action types.
- pianofaq.html -- frequently anticipated questions about pianos and piano playing.
- dc_userinstructions.pdf -- pdf document outlining owner responsibility in maintaining the Piano Life-Saver System.
- baffle_kneepanel.pdf -- For upright pianos only: As a bonus service to new customers who own an upright piano, we install a baffle below the keybed as shown in this article. If you can't wait for a service call to have this installed, this article describes how to do it. While not as effective as a Piano Life-Saver system, with the addition of water containers inside the piano it does prove helpful to reduce the effects of dry winter weather on the prairies. Keep in mind, too, that many older pianos are designed so that opening the key cover causes the music rest panel to swing open, so to get the most benefit in the heating season you'll need to remember to close your key cover when the piano is not in use...
Many pianos have a large gap between the underside of the keybed and the "knee panel" - the large front panel just above the pedals. This gap opens the piano up to the room environment, which means that it will dry out more rapidly and go off pitch as the piano dries out. This baffle acts like a gasket to close off that gap, but is out of sight so it does not detract from appearance. We then supply containers to place inside the cabinet and encourage piano owners to check these regularly through the heating season and keep them about 1/2 to 2/3 full. This supplies moisture to the piano from the inside, keeping it from drying out and reducing the amount that the piano drops in pitch owing to dry, winter weather. Very useful containers for this purpose are empty 4-litre milk jugs, with the top portion neatly cut off below the handle. Remember you need surface area for evaporation to supply moisture, so larger, square containers work best. Milk jugs are easily cut to size with a scissor, and flexible enough to easily squeeze into tight places - useful where the pedal levers are in the way and the containers must be cut to a shallow height and squeezed under the levers. In Manitoba's seasonal climate, keep water inside the piano for the duration of the winter heating season, from about mid-October to mid-May. Let them go dry for the summer. Piano manufacturers speak of 42% as a desirable relative humidity (R.H.) level. Between 40% and 45% is a good range. When the R.H. drops to 40% be ready to refill the containers. When the R.H. is heading above 45%, it's time to think of running a dehumidifier. We recommend a good-quality digital hygrometer to monitor the humidity.
PTG piano care bulletins for piano owners:
Piano Care Brochures
Technical Drawings
[NOTE: Piano action diagrams can also be found within this site at the link above... articles/pianoaction.html]
Piano Care Bulletins
Video
How it's made - The Piano
This is a YouTube video from the Science Channel that shows how a Mason & Hamlin piano is built.
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