Tuning

NPT does not rely on electronic tuning devices. The temperament they use is known as a two-octave temperament which was introduced to the trade by some experts. This allows for pure octaves stretched over a 3 to 4-octave range. Clarity, sustain, and volume are enhanced when octaves and their overtones are perfectly stacked. This produces sympathetic resonance with a richer and fuller-bodied sound.

To maintain tuning stability over many months of use, NPT recommends the Piano Life Saver System.

Action Rebuilding

Custom high-performance action rebuilding and precision-touch design is a specialty at NPT. Over the years wear from usage begins to take its toll on even the finest pianos. Hammers become worn and harsh sounding, key felt bushings become loose and wobbly, and the instrument displays a lack of dynamic control and range. The craft of piano technology has advanced to the point where customizing the touch of an action can surpass its original performance, even if the piano is from a well-known maker. There are many reasons for this:

1. Working on the touch utilizes expertise that is not required of factory workers.
2. Action work is at the end of the assembly line. Production schedules necessitate completion even when there is more work to be done.
3. Very innovative piano technicians have researched leverage, weight, and friction in piano actions and have made that research available to other technicians who are able to put it into practice.

In his custom high-performance action rebuilds, NPT uses non-proprietary action protocols for evaluating how an action is performing and is one of the few technicians in the region that has the equipment and experience to deliver this degree of accuracy in action rebuilding. Both the key and its corresponding hammer are weighed on a gram scale and balanced for precise weighted gradation. Before and after results are printed on a graph showing changes in friction, weight, and leverage throughout the action.