Maintenance Method

Each part of Kempff Piano has undergone moistureproof or anti-rust treatment, but some precious timbers, high-class metals and felts in the parts have very strict requirements. We suggest that you should maintain the piano in the following ways to prolong its service life.

Case maintenance

· Do not put any object on the piano body, lest scratches should be left on the piano body.

· If accumulating on the surfaces of the piano, the dust can be wiped off by soft fabrics or removed by a feather duster, but cannot be wiped off by a dry towel lest the varnish should be scratched.

Metal parts on the case should be subject to proper maintenance and be wiped by the piano brightener to maintain its beautiful luster.

· If dirty things on the piano need to be removed, please use the special piano cleaner. Do not use any liquids that contain methanol, alcohol, benzene and other solvents, as they may damage the piano surfaces. Do not use an aerosol to clean the piano, because its particles in the air will fall into other parts in the piano and corrode these parts.

· If scratches occur during the use of the bright piano body, it can be repaired by polishing or other methods. If scratches occur in a matte piano, repair plans should be established according to different situations.

Maintenance of soundboard

The largest wood part in a piano is the soundboard. The soundboard of Kempff Piano is made of spruce or Picea jezoensis. The two types of timbers have stable performance, so normal climate changes do not have much influence on the soundboard. But when the soundboard is in an environment with too much dryness or dampness, structural changes may occur in the soundboard.

After damped, the soundboard will expand upwards, causing the piano to lose sound accuracy. When in an environment with too much dryness, the soundboard will shrink and crack along the textures, also influencing the piano sound quality.

In order to achieve the optimal performance of the soundboard, it is suggested that the piano should be placed in a room with relatively stable temperature and humidity. (Refer to the “Placing Method” for details.)

Maintenance of action

Due to its complicate structure, fine parts and high-class materials, the action of Kempff Piano needs more careful maintenance.

· Avoid a humid environment. The hammer of the action is wrapped by double-layer felts, which will lose their original hardness and change the sound quality when they absorb moisture.

The fine parts in the action cannot be broken off with hands, lest the fault in a small part should affect the playing of the piano.

· Do not spread or spray any liquid onto the action, lest the action should be damped.

Maintenance of keys

Dirty things on the key surfaces can be wiped off by soft fibers with a small amount of water. But do not allow water to enter either side of the keys, lest the keys should be damped.

· When wiping the keys, wipe them along their direction and do not wipe them transversely.

· After the keys are wiped, do not close the piano cover immediately. Close the piano cover after the key surfaces are completely dry.

· Do not use any chemical detergent to clean the keys. Such kind of detergent may soften the key surfaces and leave residues on the keys.

Maintenance of strings

The strings of Kempff Piano have undergone special anti-rust treatment. But they may get rusted and influence their tension if they are put in a very humid environment over a long period of time. Whenever possible, avoid placing the piano in a humid environment.

Regular tuning

The piano is in a state of continuous beating movement when it is in use. Therefore, the strings receive very high external force. Over time, the tension of strings and piano tonality will change. Even if the piano is not played, the strings will change according to the changes of environmental temperature and humidity. Therefore, it is necessary to engage a professional tuner to tune the piano regularly, so as to enable it to give out superb musical sound.

We suggest that you should have the piano tuned once every six months.

Hint:

Many parts of Kempff Piano are made of high-class timbers and felts. In order to prevent from moths and moisture, you can put a certain amount of mothproof pieces and desiccants inside the piano body and replace them regularly. Do not use liquid mothproof agents. When the piano is not in use, please put a casing on it.