TemperamentCustomer Reviews
A solo technician arrives with a tuning lever, a felt strip, and forty years of ear training — coaxing concert-grade pitch from living rooms, church sanctuaries, and university practice halls. These are the unedited accounts of what happened next.
Hear What Changed
A 1978 Yamaha U1 upright, recorded in a church fellowship hall before and after a full tuning and regulation service. No reverb. No editing. Same microphone position.
Recorded February 2026 · Calvary Lutheran, Portland, OR
The most common reason piano owners wait too long: they're not sure what 'out of tune' sounds like when you've been hearing the same instrument every day. These clients describe exactly that moment of recognition.
"He played a single octave and said "this hasn't been tuned in at least four years." He was right."
I kept telling myself it was just me — that I'd gotten used to the sound. He played a single octave and said "this hasn't been tuned in at least four years." He was right. After the service I sat down and cried a little, honestly. It was the piano I remembered from childhood.
"I asked him before he started whether I'd be able to tell the difference. He said "give me twenty minutes and you'll know." He was understating it. The treble register alone was a revelation."
"My piano had been out of tune for so long I genuinely thought the problem was my ear. He diagnosed a cracked bridge pin causing the buzz on E4 before he even picked up the lever. That specificity — that's how you know you're dealing with someone real."
Tuning corrects pitch. Voicing adjusts tone quality. Regulation governs touch and key action. Most piano owners have never been told these are separate disciplines — or that all three might need attention.
"After the voicing work the tone opened up — warmer, more compliant. My teacher noticed immediately at my next lesson."
I didn't know voicing was even a thing until he explained it. My piano was in tune but every note sounded like it was fighting me. After the voicing work the tone opened up — warmer, more compliant. My teacher noticed immediately at my next lesson.
"He spent time explaining the difference between tuning, voicing, and regulation — three separate things I'd conflated into one word. No other technician I've used has ever taken the time to teach me what they're doing. I'm a more informed piano owner now."
"Our church upright had a buzz on B-flat that two other technicians dismissed as "just the room." He found a loose damper felt in under ten minutes. Tuned the whole instrument and regulated the action on the same visit. Problem solved."
The question underneath every service call: will this person tell me what I need to hear, or what keeps them employed? These clients asked. Here is what they found out.
""Honestly, for what you'd spend, a used Yamaha would serve you better." That kind of honesty is rare."
I asked him straight out whether my grandmother's upright was worth a full restoration or if I should let it go. He sat with the question for a moment, then walked me through exactly what would need to happen and what it would cost — and then said "honestly, for what you'd spend, a used Yamaha would serve you better." That kind of honesty is rare.
"He told me my soundboard had a hairline crack and that while it wasn't catastrophic now, I should know it was there. He could have said nothing. The fact that he documented it, photographed it, and sent me the images afterward tells you everything."
"I'm a conservatory student preparing for jury. He asked me what repertoire I was playing, listened to how I described the feel I was after, and adjusted the regulation specifically for the touch weight I needed for the Ravel. Not one technician I've worked with has ever done that."
"He found a loose string at the bass break and told me it would need a restring within a year. He could have left it and let me call him again. Instead he priced it out on the spot and gave me the option. That's the difference between a technician and a businessman."
Most pianos in active homes need tuning every six months. Most pianos in active homes haven't been tuned in three years. The difference is audible to anyone who knows what to listen for — and to the pianist who plays every day, even if they can't name it yet.
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