08/20/2026
**Mason & Hamlin BB getting new hammers and shanks.**
As a piano restoration technician, a lot of my focus is on preservation of older instruments. Many of them require a certain standard of care versus simply finding “a technician who says he can.”
I’ve been fortunate enough to work on a lot of pianos belonging to museums, schools, public institutions, YMCAs, churches, etc. Basically, “institutional” pianos. And plenty of privately owned instruments as well.
As technology continues to make “everyone” a piano tuner or technician, I’d recommend a little diligence when selecting someone to work on an instrument.
For me, I wake up and play a concert grand.
It’s not a brag. It’s just something I have experience with. Longer keys, different geometry, different expectations, and working on instruments that may have significant value if something goes rogue.
I’ve also worked on numerous “old” pianos.
They’re interesting. In a way, they’re delicate. They’re also incredibly strong. Knowing the difference, and when something needs to be left alone, matters.
Now for the funny story...
I remember being 12 once.
I was volunteering at a local nursing home and saw a small piano with keys that were going all over the place. Naturally, I sought out approval for the parts and resolved the issue.
Now, the funny part?
I used the experience I had gained PRIOR to that.
A few of my Saturday mornings earlier in life, do I sound old yet?, were spent going to the local music store and working on pianos.
Apparently, I’ve been doing this for a while.
**Opportunities come with responsibility.**
That’s really the takeaway.
I’ll also be redoing the Fifth Octave tuning schedule over the next month.
As Wisconsin starts going from “warm” to “winter,” the best time to start thinking about your tuning is later September into October. We can take advantage of more of that environmental change and generally get better stability out of the tuning.
So, if your piano is reasonably happy right now, you don’t necessarily need to rush to have it tuned in August. It’s okay to hold off a little bit.
Meanwhile, this Mason & Hamlin BB has some new hammers and shanks in its future.
