Pianos of London was founded in 1975 by Christopher Kypreos. Originally located
just around the corner from the BBC Maida Vale recording studios, we soon became
the piano shop of preference for many jazz and classical musicians, including Mike
Westbrook and Andre Previn.
However, most of our customers continue to be enthusiasts and young musicians,
working their way through the grades. We moved to North West London in the mid-
Eighties, (not far from IKEA), and have traded here ever since.
The secret to our offering the best nearly-new and reconditioned pianos is our
willingness to make many wasted journies eliminating all those unsuitable pianos out
there, in order to select those that merit reconditioning. In inspecting a piano, first of all,
we listen for tone, then we test the tuning stability, noting the state of the action, bridges,
soundboad, keyboard and pedal system.
Reconditioning, in our shop, is exceptionally thorough. All instruments are fine-tuned
to concert pitch. The soundboards are repaired,as are the keyboards and bridges, (which
are lubricated, as well). We also overhaul the pedal system before reconditioning the action.
Action reconditioning involves, refacing the hammers and replacing hammer springs,
recovering the dampers and replacing damper springs, recentering hammer and jack
flanges, which are also lubricated with graphite.
The action is then reassembled and regulated. Regulation, which involves making
about 700 adjustments to the action, takes about a day. Only by attending to all of these
(and many other) details can we ensure the piano will be playing the way it was when it
was new. As a result, it will play evenly and be responsive to dynamic requirements.
Making the 'touch' of a piano is part craft, part art.
Our instruments are then stripped and repolished using French Polish. The brass is cleaned
and burnished Again, attention is paid to detail. The piano is then delivered with a 3-year-
guarantee and a free tuning after delivery. Our tuner will maintain your piano free-of-charge,
at the time of tunings, during that period. But, be assurred, no piano leaves our shop
until restoration is complete.
