Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum How do I find a good technician?

How do I know if I'm getting a good tech before he/she does work on my piano?

Honestly, you can't. The only way to tell if a technician is good for you is to have them tune your piano. Of course, you want to do your research, and you want to talk to people who are already using a technician. But what you need in a tech is likely wildly different from what someone else needs from a tech. Someone who is a very good tuner may not be well-trained in voicing or regulation. Someone who is very good at repairs may not be a very good tuner. The best way to find an all-around good technician is to use a RPT. RPT's go through extensive testing. However, just because someone isn't an RPT doesn't mean they aren't a good technician. Sometimes it can be hard to find a RPT in a given area (The closest to my area is an hour away.)

Some things to remember when you're looking:

1) Stay away from somebody who says they are "certified" as a piano technician. Its not the same as being a REGISTERED Piano Technician. This is generally an attempt to trick people into thinking they're an RPT. If they can't tell you where they were tested, then they aren't certified.

2) If you hear a horror story about a technician, take it with a grain of salt but listen to it. There is usually some truth to them. Online reviews are great resources, but remember that its pretty easy for a technician to get his mother to review him.

3) Check the tuning before the technician leaves!!! If you call them a few weeks later, they have every right to refuse to return. Piano tunings can vary wildly due to weather.

4) You get what you pay for. The cheapest price may not be the best. More experienced technicians can charge far more. Also, some of the more expensive technicians only offer full services, i.e. tuning, voicing, and regulation.


5) Sometimes the cheaper price may just be a "junior" technician. We may not have 40 years of experience, but we're still capable tuners. However, if extensive voicing or regulation is needed, be sure to ASK if they consider themselves capable. Often, technicians overestimate their abilities. Ask if they've done it before and to what extent.

6) Ask the technician questions on the phone. They should be able to tell you if they can do what you need done. If they can't answer basic questions, DON'T hire them.

Agree with samthetech - there is no easy way to know. Asking friends who are pleased with the tuner/technician they use is perhaps the most straightforward way to find a reliable 'person' to get the job done!

Re: How do I find a good technician?
This is a Frequently Asked Question, as in FAQ.

If you go to the forum, you will find a thread with a lot of tips on finding a good tech.
best of luck.

Certification and Accreditation (C&A or CnA) is often used incorrectly.

The C&A system is used extensively across the world and is a systematic procedure for evaluating, testing and authorizing activities prior to or following a system already in operation.
Certification is an evaluation of any process or standard. It is not specific to any one country or process.

Accreditation is the formal declaration by an approved body, but can be regionally or topic specific.

Anyone who attends a University course such as Bennett Street or Western U for example, upon completion of the piano tech studies, would receive accreditation.

They will have been certified by an accredited body, that being the admin of the course they just completed and passed.

Terminology such as certified is often misunderstood and used incorrectly by many.

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If you click on the "Find an RPT" widget on the upper right corner of the Piano Technicians Guild homepage (www.ptg.org), you can put in your postal code and see if someone comes up in your area.

There are fine technicians who are not RPTs (and a few incompetent jerks who are), but it's one way to locate a pool of technicians who believe in their own competency enough to have submitted it to objective peer evaluation.

Good luck!

But with nobody regulating who can call themselves "certified", you generally end up with somebody who "certified" themselves. I speak from personal experience. If they can't tell you where they were certified, don't hire them.

Thanks everyone.

Thanks everyone.