They replace old tuning pins with larger ones, as they have probably loosened over time in the pin block, and need a larger size to fit.įinally, the technician adds strings to the instrument. What would happen? Would the piano explode outward as a cumulative ~15000 lbs of pressure releases on both the top and bottom of the instrument?)Īfter the technician loosens the strings sufficiently she can clip them. (Fun thought experiment: imagine snipping all strings on a fully pressured piano at once. Thus, clipping a string while it is tight releases 100+ lbs of tension all at once, enough to damage the piano. From basic physics we know that the strings are pulling in a cumulative 30,000 lbs while the pins that hold the strings pull out a cumulative 30,000 lbs (with the help of a cast iron plate). Why? A typical piano holds over 30,000 lbs of pressure in its strings. Next, the technician loosens all the strings over several passes.
#Cost to restore kimball baby grand piano how to#
In the following video the technician removed everything but the wooden and metal frames to begin working on the restringing process.Ī piano technician shows how to restring a piano If it is an upright this means flipping the piano on its back with a dolly and removing the entire front of the instrument, including the keys, action, and panels! David Mann, a technician from said that restringing a piano was “ one of the most physically challenging tasks I have ever attempted.“įirst, the technician needs to expose all the strings of the piano.
#Cost to restore kimball baby grand piano series#
How to Restring a PianoĪ technician must follow a series of physically challenging steps to restring a piano. restringing just a section, or a whole instrumentĪn amateur can successfully restring their own guitar, so why is restringing a piano so expensive? To answer that, let’s explore the process.If you restring your piano, your bill will be dependent on several factors such as: Costs vary depending on the quality of string. How much does a set of piano strings cost? You can find sets of piano strings for $250 – $400. Piano strings cost as little as $2 per string, perhaps less if the technician creates the string from piano wire. With these prices, you may be better off looking to purchase a new piano unless your current piano is of particularly high value. With 40-55 bass strings this would still cost $2000 dollars for the bass octaves of a piano alone. I saw one technician offer services for $55 per bass string. If only certain sections of strings are damaged, then you might not need to restring the whole piano. An upright might cost $2000 to $4000 to restring, while a baby grand or grand might cost $4000-$10,000. To restring an entire piano it will cost $1,000 to $10,000 + dollars. It turns out that the cost to restring a piano is high, and probably not worth it unless your piano is particularly valuable. So I tune my piano strings once or twice a year, but eventually the strings will wear out and I will need to replace them, right? Well maybe.