Greg Cole - Piano Technician
Connecticut & Westchester
Scroll to the end for contact info and booking link
I offer the exceptional to draw out the best in your piano
Philosophy, Paths, and Crossroads
In its finest state, the piano can transform the artist, the student, the audience. We are captivated…raptured! The design and evolution of the piano is one of the most important developments for the high art of music and its expression. And I passionately support this art.
Efficiency Compliments Perfection!
Pianos have always been a satisfying compliment to my love of music. With a natural talent for problem solving, patience and an excellent ear, my apprenticeship with Dr. Wayne Rusk, III, helped shape the fundamentals of the art of piano tuning that remain central to my work.
PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS - PAST, RECENT AND ONGOING
Performing Artist: “Kelli O’Hara in Concert" with Music Director Dan Lipton, pianist
Performing Artists: Timo Andres, Aaron Diehl and Jenny Lin, performing “Phillip Glass, Selected Etudes”, produced by The Glass House Foundation
Recording Studio Piano Technician for: Henry Hey, American keyboardist, songwriter, producer, arranger and musical director
Faust Harrison Pianos, Fairfield, CT, Showroom Tuner
The Ethel Walker School, Simsbury, CT
Hartford Seminary
St Paul’s on the Green, Sanctuary Steinway and rehearsal pianos, Norwalk, CT (donation tunings)
Private residence, Bedford, NY - Bosendorfer 200
Gallery Sono, Knabe Concert Grand (vintage/type piano specialties)
Private Residence Organ, 1926 EM Skinner and Steinway C, Greenwich, CT
CCSU Central Connecticut State University, Campus and Music dept. pianos, New Britain, CT
Welte Hall Auditorium, Stage Concert Grand, New Britain, CT (performance specialty)
New Britain Symphony Orchestra, NBSO Concert prep and tuning
Music Theatre of Connecticut, MTC, Stage and rehearsal, Norwalk, CT (donation tunings)
Caleb Hawley Recording Studio, Harlem, NY (recording specialty)
Founders Hall, CCSU New 2019 Steinway D Concert Grand (performance/stage specialty)
Park Avenue Pianos, 57th St, NYC, Official Steinway Tuner for CT
PianoPiano, NYC, Tuner/technician for Southwestern CT (when needed)
Schwartzmann Center, Yale, New Haven
Pequot Library, Southport, Concert tunings
Education: Mansfield University (formerly State College) Music Department - Piano Tuning Program.
Long and rewarding careers: Business Owner - Data Retrieval, Employment Background Screening and Title Search; and Real Estate.
Pipe Organ Tuning and Restoration involving some of the finest pipe organs from Boston to DC under the direction of Steve Emery, owner Emery Bros. In my care were choir, concert, and institutional pianos in association with the pipe organs that we maintained.
Greg’s tips
No. 1 - Before you consider a move:
Hire Professionals! Although I do not move pianos, I will be more than glad to furnish names of companies specializing in this. Read on:
Too many times I’ve had discussions with owners facing the fact that the unqualified movers (amateur or commercial moving businesses) they hired damaged their piano during handling and transport. A costly decision. These pianos suffer from scratches, broken or torn supports, missing parts, chips to corners, strap bruises and indentations, and destroyed casters, to name just a few examples. Insurance dealings can be unsatisfactory. And repair scenarios can require specialized furniture repair well beyond our capabilities.
Needing to store your piano during home renovations, or in-between moves? I offer safe storage options at my workshop.
Greg’s tips
No. 2 - Avoid extra tuning costs:
Your best decision - hire a tuner who is also a technician.
I am often called to do repairs on a piano after a visit from a tuner with no technical skills or qualifications. Many of these repairs are simple and can be completed in 10 minutes. Though, a non-technician’s rate may seem reasonable at $120-$150, do you want to receive only part of the service. Overlooking basic maintenance can become expensive in the long term. So, why put off repairs or pay extra costs to hire a separate tuner/technician when it can be done in one visit.
My base tuning fee includes minor repairs and adjustments to keep your piano maintained properly. The 2 hours spent tuning your piano includes working on sticking or sluggish keys and action parts, minor adjustments to touch, pedal work, vacuuming, and chasing down noises, clicks, knocks or squeaks. NOTE: Please inquire about 2025 rates.
Greg’s tips
No. 3 - Listen to your children (and more):
An out of tune piano - a reason why beginners might not take to the piano . . .
I recall doing an evaluation for a potential new owner on a large vintage upright. It needed very little work, cabinet was very nice, and it had a contemporary look. But, it was so out of tune it belonged in a carnival.
When asking the owner how long they owned it and why it was being let go, their main reason was the children lost interest. The conversation then led me to an important clue to the family’s indifference and frustration:
It was never tuned. And, the thinking was that if the children continued showing interest, they would then invest in a tuning.
There’s a reason why some ads say “Free Saloon Piano”.
Greg’s Montras
No. 4
The piano should be tuned so well that playing it becomes an addiction!
Be fussy, but be efficient
Efficiency Compliments Perfection!


My visitor - his name is Smokey

Touch regulation


1929 Bosendorfer 170 5'7" (inventory - inquire about price)

Workspace - Bosendorfer in the foreground

Grand Action a peek at the grand mechanism beneath the hammers that is responsible for fast repetition

Rosewood 1885 Knabe 6'3" (inventory, inquire about price)

1880's Mason & Hamlin (client) These antique uprights are becoming increasingly popular!

1880's Mason & Hamlin (client) When rebuilt, their sound and touch can rival some of the best uprights on the market today.
Tuning a new Steinway D Concert Grand Founders Hall, New Britain (CCSU)
Steinway D New Concert Grand Founders Hall, New Britain

One of my lucky piano "shots"

Soundboard, rib and bridge schematics

1962 Steinway D Concert Grand Welte Auditorium, New Britain

Ivory Key repair (before)

Ivory Key repair (in progress)

Ivory Key repair (done!)

Regulation - correcting sluggish hammer shanks in a Brodmann 187
1984 Hamburg Steinway C, Scarsdale, NY - one of my favorites! (many fine pianos have a story to tell: anyone know Emmanuel Axe?)
An early solution to winter humidification.

After replacing butt cords on a Yamaha and some voicing

CT PTG chapter meeting and work session at my workshop in Bridgeport, CT

1929 Bluthner Grand, unique action design

Tuning a Yamaha C7 at Yale - Schwartzman Center. Major fundraiser event including a mystery pianist (who insisted on performing with the lid facing back stage) That "mystery pianist" was a Midi System featuring a live remote Performance.

Viennese Carl Dorr 6'2 grand made in 1910. Previous rebuild and cabinet restoration. (inventory - inquire about price)

At my workshop in Bridgeport - CT Chapter Piano Technician's Guild learning sessions

Recording Studio

Steinway O Macasser Ebony Art Case ca. 2014

Bosendorfer Semi Concert Grand 225 with 92 notes (extra 3 bass notes). A little bit of deferred maintenance requiring extra work during tuning: hammer filing, voicing; action lubrication; light cleaning

Bosendorfer Semi Concert Grand 225 with 92 notes (extra 3 bass notes)

Yamaha G3 Artcase piano

Yamaha G3 Artcase piano

Recording studio tuning

1920's Knabe concert grand identified as a Fox Films orchestra recording piano (one of my personal pianos, it's now located at Gallery Sono, Norwalk)

Bechstein grand, wide room temperature fluctuations can require blanketing to keep pitch from drifting during tuning

Steinway D, some are a real challenge to tune

1896 upright repairs on damaged panels using recycled mahogany veneers

1896 upright repairs on damaged panels using recycled mahogany veneers

Sumptuous settings - Greenwich, CT

Wurlitzer Butterfly piano veneer repair using recycled veneer

1896 upright repairs on damaged panels using recycled mahogany veneers

Wurlitzer Butterfly piano veneer repair using recycled veneer

Wurlitzer Butterfly piano veneer repair using recycled veneer

1896 upright repairs on lifted veneers

Wurlitzer Butterfly piano veneer repair using recycled veneer

Piano in Chateau de Cheverny (Loire Valley, France piano sightings)

Double piano pre-concert rehearsal

Double piano tuning Pequot Library, Southport, CT

Bechstein Model A, cabinet restoration and partly rebuilt (uploaded 12/24 for client - inquire about price)

Yamaha U3 - excellent condition (inventory - inquire about price)

Lovely setting for a restored Antique Steinway A

Steinway B, 1873 85 note - piano rescue from a closed theater. (inventory - inquire about price)

Steinway B, 1873 85 note - piano rescue from a closed theater. (inventory - inquire about price)

Steinway B, 1873 85 note - piano rescue from a closed theater. (inventory - inquire about price)
My work
Contact
100 Apple Valley Rd, Stamford, CT 06903
SHOP: 480 Barnum Ave, Unit 4301-H, Bridgeport, CT
646.346.4836
INQUIRE ABOUT 2025 RATE CHANGES