Any free pianos, even from friends, are usually not the durable ones produced by well-known manufacturers. Parts wear through time, strings might have become rusty. Theres piano might be prone to string breakage during the tuning process, and might need extensive repairs.

On the contrary, well-known brands such as Yamaha and Kawai do produce more durable pianos. Even if these pianos were neglected for a long time, tuning and repairs are less risky.

Normally, old second-hand or free pianos posses many unknown issues. Before any in-person evaluation is done, we can only estimate the service duration to be 3-4 hours ($800-1000).

If the piano has been regularly tuned and serviced before the pandemic, and is still being played during the pandemic, the piano should still function well.

Most piano will just need "Basic Tuning" ($600). If the pitch level has dropped, then a "Pitch Correction" service ($800) is required.

If such a situation only happens occasionally, it is most likely a result of high humidity. On the other hand, oxidation might occur to some part if the piano is old.

Nevertheless, a common solution is replacement of metal pins of affected keys. This procedure is time consuming, and will take 7-10 hours to finish those from all 88 keys ($1800). Therefore, we usually only repair the affected keys. When possible, clients should mark the affected keys. For clients with restricted financial means, there are less time-consuming ways. However, the effect is only temporary, we do not guarantee the longevity of alternative methods.

If only 1-2 keys have been affected, they can be fixed alongside a tuning appointment ($600-800), without extra charge.

Note that there are other reasons for sticky keys, the one mentioned above is a very common scenario.

From my experience, many pianos with "death sentences" might have more problems than others, but they are most likely fixable. I have brought numerous "dead pianos" back to life.

Old pianos often have worn parts and rusty strings, hence they are more troublesome to repair. The level of difficulties in repairing old pianos also depend on the quality of the pianos themselvels. A poorly built pianos might have more broken strings and parts, increasing the uncertainties for the job. In this case, a piano technician must prepare for most repairs, that means bringing more heavy parts and tools along which is very tiring. Therefore, some technicians might simply claim the piano untunable or unrepairable in order to avoid the trouble.

Sometimes, the repair cost exceeds the value of the piano. In this case, I usually recomend investing a new or used piano in better condition.

However, sentimental value is priceless. If the customers still want the piano repaired despite the high cost, we will still do it.

Due to high uncertainties, the piano must be valued before we can estimate the cost.

Like a washing machines, they break if they stayed idle for ages. Even if the piano has not been played, it has been affected by the climate and humidity. The strings will lose tension, and the tuning ruined. Sometimes, it becomes a favourite home for roaches and rodents.

This is why servicing an idled piano is more work then usual!

Due to high uncertainties, the piano must be valued before we can estimate the cost.

一些客人表示，看完「Q&A: 怎樣算是鋼琴的「簡單清潔」和「深度清潔」？（🐭慎入）」一文後十分擔心自己的琴會否也住了蟲蟲和米奇。畢竟，我們不建議沒受專業訓練的人士自行將琴拆開來檢查。若有經常彈琴及做定期調音，鋼琴內裹其實不會那麼容易滋生蟲蟲。師傅來調音時，客人絕對可以向我們過問關於鋼琴清潔的狀況。此外，家居衛生也很重要！請不要邊彈琴邊吃東西。

It is fine to put small packs of pest repellent inside the piano. Please refrain from using any spray or liquid. Sometimes, the piano will have bad luck and no one can stop the damage from termites, for example.

Newly purchase used piano can also bring in pest! Most of the time, customers only call me for a tuning after piano is purchased and moved to its new home. If there were live animals inside the piano, all I can do is to try myself to clean it. Therefore it is best to hire a technician to evaluate a piano before buying, the technician will be able to see if the piano is free of pest.

Dust accumulates over many years. If the piano is very dirty inside, all keys must be removed for deep cleaning. This is a time consuming process. With tuning, it will take 3 to 4 hours of service.

Sticky key is a problems related to the piano action, which is resolved by regulation or repair. It is not related to tuning, as a tuning concerns solely the strings.

In short, a piano consists of mainly wood and felt. These material expand under high humidity. Aside from aging parts, humid weather would cause additional friction between parts and render action problems such as sticky keys. When the weather is dryer again, the parts shrink and the action functions well again. Therefore, action parts are constantly affected by humidity change. A tuning cannot help remedy such a fact,

Perhaps the weather has been very humid lately? Was there plenty of rain during the past week? We often hear more reports of sticky after heavy rain days. When the weather is sunny and nice, the piano might function well, maybe just well enough that a technician is not aware of the potential problems. He or she also doesn't have the time to check 88 keys when the service only requires a tuning. But if the customer can point out problems of specific keys, the technician then can focus on checking those keys. This is why we recommend labelling problematic keys prior to a technician's visit.

Piano tuning and regulation are two different services. In terms of sticky keys, regulation and repair are methods to lower the added fricition, either by adjusting position of parts, or replacement of worn out parts. That says, our tuning service also includes limited regulation and repair, if we see the need to do so. We will also discuss with the customers for options best suited to their needs.

No. We focus our services to internal parts of the piano. We can ligltly wipe the piano surface clean. Polishing polyester requires power tools, it's heavy and messy.

Surface repair concerns paint and chemicals that are very different from fixing the internal parts of the piano. We usually refer to refinishing professional for such repairs.