I am sitting here crying over my piano

[BrigitBigKnickers]

Stupid really- I have my grandmother's piano.

It is my favourite thing in the whole world.

The piano tuner took the insides away a few weeks ago to put a new set of tapes on and reshape some of the hammers.

He has just left and it sounds horrible. The tone has all gone and it sounds dead and I hate it.

Playing the piano is one of the only things in life that gives me any pleasure and he has wrecked it.

I wish he'd never touched it.

I don't know where you stand on this legally, but I just wanted to say how much I feel for you.

I utterly love my piano too.

I hope someone knowledgeable will come along and advise you on what you could do? Have you spoken to the piano tuner about the problem?

Might it just be because it's new stuff & it'll settle down after a while?

It's not new stuff- he has reshaped the original hammers I can't see how it will change.

I haven't spoken to him yet- he only left half an hour ago. He has been tuning my piano for 10 years and he refurbished my dad's piano and he was very happy with it.

it's been taken out & fiddled with & put back though - that must make a difference initially, surely? like when pianos are moved it changes the sound until they've stood for a while & been retuned?

anyway hope he can reassure you

I hope you are right but I really don't think he will be able to reassure me.

He said he hadn't made the sound too "bright" but now it just sounds muddy and horrid. The hammers are more rounded now whereas before they were a little more pointexd.

The one thing I loved about my piano was it's bright (but not too brittle) tone.

Well I spoke to him and he said that what he did is supposed to make the sound brighter- not more dull [ hmm] and that most people say the sound is too bright after this sort of refurbishment.

He said he will come back next week and put something on the hammers to harden them a little and that should brighten up the sound but I am not filled with confidence.

It's ridiculous- I feel bereft and can't stop crying- like he has killed my best friend.

Pathetic isn't it. Somebody shake me and tell me to get a grip.

I hope he can fix it for you, Brigit - not pathetic at all - good luck

I don't know anything about pianos so I cannot offer you any advcie but if this man has been tuning your piano well for 10 years and refurbished your father's piano to his satisfaction, it does sound as if he knows what he is doing and I should think between you, you'll be able to get the sound more like you want to have it.

I hope so. Give him a chance to do some corrective work, it may be something small that needs to be altered.

Oh God- just had a conversation with the piano tuner (who I have known for 20 years) in at our school today.

He knows my guy well (used to work with him) and says, although a very good tuner, he is not a trained piano restorer and was quite shocked that he would have attempted to restore such an old piano without significant training...

I am so

This is a very valuable(sentimentally) family heirloom and he's tinkered about with it without knowing what he is doing.

He was supposed to be coming back tomorrow but think I am going to cancel him and get a proper expert in who knows what he is doing.

Oh no, I feel so bad for you. I also love my piano, also a family heirloom and antique. As awful as situation is, I'm sure it can be fixed; they are meant to be working machines. Tuners usually can do light work quite competently, though, like reshaping hammers, wait for the proper restorer to advise you, may not be as bad as you fear.

I'm sure a proper restorer will get back your "bright" tone. Hope it doesn't take too long before you are happy playing again.

Update!
Found another properly qualified piano technician to do some work on my piano. New hammers, leathers, springs and felts. Regualted within an inch of it's life and it sounds...

BLOODY BRILLIANT

My best friend is resurrected!

Hurrah! So pleased that I will crash through 'Entrance of the Queen of Sheba' in joyous celebration for you, BigKnickers

Oh yes- I crash through that one too!

Excellent - glad to hear it all ended well. I also have an old piano that means a lot to me that needs a similar refurb - can I ask how much it all cost you.

£485 for cash. But he spent hours on it!

He took the middle section away and replaced the leathers, felts and springs and then removed the hammers.

Then he brought it back and over a period of 2 days (around 7 hours work) fitted the hammers and regulated the whole mechanism and tuned it.

He is coming back in September for a final adjustment and tune which is included in the price.

He says the strings might need replacing at some time in the future (which is very fiddly and expensive) but I am very happy with the way it sounds and hope that won't be for a very long time.

that's good news!