News – 15-Apr-24
Sydney
Incredibly sad news. My master has died. A moral person, always kind & helpful, & without peer in the piano industry
Goodbye, Ara
(Not my image)
Venue – 09-Mar-24
Lauriston
For my client I selected this Yamaha C6 in Adelaide & installed it here in August 2012. It has proven totally reliable (despite below-average room temperatures!). Dozens of performers at this beautiful private venue have made high-quality music with it over the intervening years, always being highly complimentary of it. Massive thanks to JG for the rewarding, ongoing association 
News – 08-Aug-23
‘We’re running out’: decline of Australia’s piano tuners hits a sore note!
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/08/piano-tuning-tuners-technicians-australia
Tech note – 21-May-23
Bösendorfer stringing
Most manufacturers loop plain wire strings around their termination points; as each note consists of 3 sounding sections of wire, 2 of those belong to a single wire, & in the event of a breakage a note therefore loses either 2/3 of its wire, or adjacent notes lose 1 wire each. A more expensive solution is to tie off each wire individually, as you see here – this is certainly better if there’s a breakage, & makes for both better tuneability & tuning stability
Tech note – 24-Feb-23
Bendigo, but these might be yours!
Hammers are compressed felt. Piano strings are carbon steel. You play, you wear your hammers. Over years the strings further compress hammers, leaving deep grooves & high shoulders (the peaks you can see on the sides of each hammer). This is detrimental to the sound, which will be unlike the original, & also places physical strain on the strings, increasing the likelihood of breakages
Installation – 10-Nov-22
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo
Just set up a new C3X in the choir room of this very attractive sandstone English Gothic-style cathedral. Organist & Director of Music Paul Taylor was able to use it that night – a good, swift turnaround & I am looking forward to years of looking after both it & my excellent client. These long-term relationships are the cornerstone of my business, bringing numerous rewards
https://www.sandhurst.catholic.org.au/aboutcathedral/cathedral-features
https://au.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/pianos/grand_pianos/cx_series/specs.html
Tech note – Nov-22
Trialling a new type of security screw
Vandalism, not only to the exterior of pianos, can be an issue in schools, universities & public spaces – my quick fix for protecting the interior of uprights, first applied in 2009, is a tamper-proof screw into the top lid. These are reasonably discreet & come in a variety of forms – this one is a pan head eye drive. The hole is easy to fill when the piano is eventually sold, though the finish will never match, but pianos from these places are always quite knocked about, making this an insignificant flaw. Do they work? 100% – I have never had one removed from any of the 90 or so pianos to which they have been fitted, & the difference they make to the longevity of the piano actions is remarkable
Venue – 28-May-22
Piano with history
Now residing in Central Victoria, though no longer original – apparently it was in poor condition for some time & was restored a few years after the death of its owner
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/sep/06/geoffrey-tozer-obituary