Kurta Piano Service, like many such businesses, consists of one person – the true “one man band.”

I have been a professional piano technician since 1989 and was mentored by Frank McKowen, RPT from Lansing, MI. Attaining RPT status with the Piano Technicians Guild in 1995, I began lecturing and presenting technicals on several subjects but primarily tools and keytop replacement. I have spoken before 10 PTG chapters, a number of national conventions and am well known in PTG circles.

I also found myself drawn to key work as I always had a soft spot for bench repair having been a carburetor rebuilder previously in the automotive repair business.

Replacing keytops for my own customers, and over the years for other technicians, piano dealers and rebuilders, I was asked if I would do more work for them.

Having now retired from actively tuning pianos, I am focusing on keytop replacement as my primary occupation. By concentrating on doing one thing well, I have developed highly specialized machines and techniques to produce a fine finished product. Because you are dealing with me directly, I can offer a quick return of your keys, moderately priced and skillfully done. You will be proud to install these in your customer’s or your own pianos.

I have a couple of mottos: “Consistent Precision” meaning each key is of a standard I would aspire to if working on my own piano. And my warranty is “Customer Satisfaction”, whatever it takes to make you happy is my goal.

Because I work alone, please call or email before sending your keys, to be sure I’m available and not away, or otherwise tied up.

Enclose your check or pay via credit card through Paypal and I will pay for return shipping. 

This site and my services are primarily intended for the piano service trade, rather than individual piano owners. Because there is considerable skill needed to remove and install piano keys, especially in grand pianos, I provide my service mainly to professional piano technicians, piano dealers and rebuilders. Often piano keys need to be aligned, leveled and regulated after being installed, and it requires training and experience to accomplish this. For these reasons you should contact a qualified piano technician to help with your project. But on occasion I do work for the piano owner if I feel he/she is able to remove and replace their keys.

You can find a technician at www.ptg.org or contact music teachers, choir directors and musicians for further recommendations.

When you are tuning a customer’s piano…

I will include an extra new keytop with your first order of keys to use as a selling tool for the customer. If there is any interest shown by your client in recovering keys, you can demonstrate how they can all look by inserting the spare in the proper spot on the keyboard.You may also want to check for worn or missing balance rail and front rail bushings and suggest that there are substantial savings by rebushing at the time the keys are out of the piano. By checking the side-to-side movement of the key fronts (before the keys are removed from the piano) from the middle of the keyboard in comparison to the bass and treble ends, the customer can feel the difference in looseness themselves. It becomes a win-win, the piano owner will have needed work done at a saving, and we both receive added revenue.

Factory stamped numbers are often impossible to see clearly. Please make sure key numbers are legible and if not re-number them while they are still in the piano or draw registration lines on the keys.

If you wish to make a commitment to your customer on when you may return to replace the keys, call me from your location. Tell me what you have and what is needed and I will give you an estimate as to when they will be shipped back to you. Typical turnaround time is 14 to 21 days. But because I work alone, there may be times when there is a backup, so please call ahead. Rush orders can be accommodated if possible at no extra charge.

Packing your keys

It is important that your keys arrive here in good condition and that begins with proper packing at your end. I suggest you tape 5-6 keys together with masking tape wrap them and pack them alternating in a strong, well padded cardboard box. Pad the bottom, sides and top so the keys are snug and cannot move around in shipping. Keep in mind other heavier boxes may be placed on top of your box and they are often handled roughly by automated machinery. The extra time and effort in careful packing is well worth avoiding damage.

If you plan to do additional work yourself such as bushings, capstans or backchecks, send your keys after such work is done. Please do not send the black keys unless you require work done on them.

The keytop material I use

First, a word about ivory. There is a misconception that ivory is very valuable and should be preserved at all costs.  In its day, ivory was the best piano key material available. It was cheap, plentiful and used by almost all piano makers. Because it is an animal product, it has some inherent drawbacks. With time, ivory can often dry out, crack and split. It sometimes discolors tending toward yellow or tan and with age the adhesive may fail causing the ivories to come off. Ivory can also become very brittle and will fracture easily.

Plastic keytops that first appeared after WWII tended to discolor, crack and break easily, similar to ivory. While the early generation of man-made keytops did not stand the test of time, today’s materials are tough, fade resistant, easily repaired if needed, long lasting, and moderately priced.

Over the years I have used a number of different man-made materials to recover piano keys and have settled on a high-quality German acrylic plastic keytop. This material combines reasonable cost, durability, and a fine, long-lasting appearance. A major benefit is that the top and front of the key cover are a single piece, making it virtually impossible for either to come loose. Because of this, the top and the front of the key will be the same color.

Leave the old key coverings in place as I need to verify the original overall key height. Any ivory pieces that I remove from your keys that are intact and usable will be returned to you.