CRAFTON PIANO WORKS
Professional Piano Tuning, Maintenance and Repair Services
- Serving NYC + North Jersey
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Steinway Technical Academy trained
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Vice President, NYC Piano Technicians Guild
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Masters graduate of The Juilliard School
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Tuning guarantee + follow-up policy
About Amy
I am a proud member of both the New York City and the New Jersey Chapters of the Piano Technicians Guild. As Vice President of the NYC Chapter and co-owner of Kaleidoscope Sound Recording Studios in Union City, NJ, kaleidoscopesound.com I have spent over 30 years as a musician, growing my skills and supporting other great artists.
After graduating from The Juilliard School (MM) and The Manhattan School of Music (BM), I toured the world as a clarinetist with many great ensembles including the New World Symphony and the New York City Opera National Company. After a few years of traveling, I worked in the exceptional Broadway Pit Orchestras of The Lion King, Riverdance and Wicked.
In 2001 my husband and I built Kaleidoscope Sound Recording Studios and I became obsessed with maintaining our beautiful 1909 Steinway B. I returned to school studying piano technology at The Butler School with Maggie Jusiel. After years of study, working in rebuilding shops and tuning and repairing pianos, I now happily find myself caring for and maintaining majestic concert instruments as well as treasured home pianos. I love meeting new people, nurturing these wonderful instruments and enabling others to experience joy in creating their own music.
Services
Standard Tuning
Includes a careful inspection and minor adjustments—such as hammer alignment, tightening of loose screws, and correcting sticking keys— as well as a musical, stable tuning at A440 or A442 as requested.
From $200
Pitch Raise
Necessary when a piano has fallen significantly below standard pitch—often because of extended time between tunings, a move, seasonal humidity changes, or a newly built instrument. This preliminary adjustment gradually brings the soundboard, cast iron plate and steel strings back to proper tension, allowing the piano to be tuned accurately and hold its final tuning more reliably.
From $100
Regulation
Over time, normal use and environmental changes can cause the relationships between action components to shift out of their ideal positions. Regulation restores these precise relationships between action parts, improving touch, evenness, speed of repetition, control and overall consistency across the keyboard. The piano plays smoothly and performs at its best.
From $350
Voicing
Over time, the felt on the piano’s hammers becomes compacted from striking the strings thousands of times. This can cause the tone to become too bright, harsh, or uneven across the keyboard. Voicing carefully modifies the hammer felt to restore a more warm, even, and musical tone.
From $350
Humidity Control
A piano’s wood and felt components are highly sensitive to changes in moisture, affecting tuning stability, touch, and tone. Installing a humidity control system helps maintain a consistent environment inside your piano, extending the stability of a tuning between appointments, and aids in protect against soundboard cracks, warping, and other damage.
Complete Certified Installation from $750
Repairs of existing components from $50
Replenishing supplies from $15
Replacing Broken Strings
Piano strings break because they do, often because of age, rust, or heavy playing. Although wound bass strings need to be special ordered and require a return visit, all piano strings can be repaired or replaced. Bass strings are priced based on replacement string dimensions and steel strings (the upper notes) can often be replaced in the same Standard Tuning appointment.
From $50
Emergency Services
Broken string before recital? Forgot to tune the piano before an event? Call and I will make every effort to help. If I am not available, as Vice President of the NYC Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild and an active member of the NJ Chapter, I will make every effort to help solve the situation in a timely manner.
From $150
Reviews
"Amy has a musician's ear, patience, craftsmanship and incredible expertise. I trust her to maintain my own piano and tune for my recordings. A skilled and diligent technician, Amy understands the needs of the professional musician as well as the home pianist."
Janet Axelrod - Voting Member Recording Academy, Endorsed Yamaha Artist, Advisory Board Member for Maestra Music and Member Trial Board - American Federation of Musicians, Local 802, New York City
"Amy did an amazing job extensively rebuilding two of our 9 foot grands that we had all but given up on. Her focus, precision and care were incredible. The instruments play and sound beautiful now! What a gem of a craftsperson to work with.”
Brian Seeger – Coca-Cola Endowed Chair in American Jazz Studies,
University of New Orleans
"Amy is professional, courteous and a delight to work with."
I.G. - Executive Director
Beth Haverim Shir Shalom, Reform Synagogue Mahwah, NJ
"I highly recommend Amy Crafton as a piano technician. She is an excellent tuner, highly professional and does great work."
Michael Cochrane
Jazz Pianist, Composer, Arranger and Instructor Princeton University, Rutgers University, Bloomingdale School of Music, Yamaha Conservatory of Music and JCC Thurnauer School of Music
