Piano Tuner, York on Mice, Rats, Moths and Cats (Video, part 2)

In this part two follow-up to York's World War II Memoir, the seasoned piano tuner relaxes into his emblematic animated conversation, telling the world how to eradicate mice, rats, and moths from pianos. Oldsters watching better have a fresh pair of Depends, because York lets loose with some mighty over the top, funny lines. Throw…

York’s tweezers, soundboard steel, hammer stem saw etc.

York's wood saw used to trim hammer stems and pedal rods. A string of keys from the piano tuning supply house. From Left to Right--Yellow dust cloth;Wurlitzer Duraphonic Radial soundboard; Soundboard Steel to mount a dust cloth for cleaning under the strings. York's grandpa, a piano tuner, would make his soundboard cleaner out of a…

Samick, York, Tofujie and me: On the piano-chasing trail

York called me from a client's home in Clovis right after our great treasure-seeking adventure under the Kawai 7-foot grand piano. He'd been appraising a Samick studio upright manufactured in 1990 that was owned by Joel Van Ginkel. "I'd appraise it at about $2000," he said, "but between you 'n me, he'll unload the piana' for a lot…

Pics of the Little Knightingale, me, York, and Caroline

There's York, piana tuna,' joining the crowd at Caroline's. He harbored doubts about Knight pianos until he inspected this one. You can see his time honored lamp with its twisted neck hanging down over the piano. Missing are his Filter Queen moth eradication machine and can of Decon. Read: The Little Knightingale https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/the-little-knightingale/

A Player Piano Without a Name

"Alice," the owner of an unidentified player, is seen above. On a sultry Friday morning before a long Memorial Day weekend, I stumbled upon a Fresno Bee ad for a brand-less “piano,” sandwiched among “moving sale” items. The seller’s address traced to a working class neighborhood in south Fresno that probably wouldn’t house a pricey…