About
Amy Crafton
I am a proud member of both the New York City and the New Jersey Chapters of the Piano Technicians Guild. As Vice President of the NYC Chapter and co-owner of Kaleidoscope Sound Recording Studios in Union City, NJ, kaleidoscopesound.com I have spent over 30 years as a musician, growing my skills and supporting other great artists.
After graduating from The Juilliard School (MM) and The Manhattan School of Music (BM), I toured the world as a clarinetist with many great ensembles including the New World Symphony and the New York City Opera National Company. After a few years of traveling, I worked in the exceptional Broadway Pit Orchestras of The Lion King, Riverdance and Wicked.
In 2001 my husband and I built Kaleidoscope Sound Recording Studios and I became obsessed with maintaining our beautiful 1909 Steinway B. I returned to school studying piano technology at The Butler School with Maggie Jusiel. After years of study, working in rebuilding shops and tuning and repairing pianos, I now happily find myself caring for and maintaining majestic concert instruments as well as treasured home pianos. I love meeting new people, nurturing these wonderful instruments and enabling others to experience joy in creating their own music.
Services
PIANO TUNING
My stable, accurate tunings are guaranteed. Minor repairs and adjustments are included in the price of your tuning / service appointment.
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Sometimes the unexpected happens... odd hours are not a problem. Yes, you can call/text me directly (201) 310-7225 and I will do all I can to repair or tune your instrument when something goes wrong before your concert, reception or special event.
If I am truly not available, as a member of the Piano Technicians Guild, I will help you find another qualified technician with space in their schedule.
REPAIR AND REGULATION
Sticking keys? Broken strings? Broken hammer? Squeaking pedals? Are ringing dampers, clicks, buzzes, squeaks, double-striking notes or hammers blocking into strings making you crazy? Years of experience in a recording studio have taught me precision and the need for exacting standards.
HUMIDITY CONTROL
I am a certified and warrantied installer / service technician of all Dampp-Chaser and Piano Life Saver Humidity Control Systems.
Reducing humidity fluctuations and helping to create a consistent relative humidity of 42%:
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Maintains pitch and tone
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Improves quality and response of the action
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Prevents sluggish or sticking keys
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Helps to prevent rattling keys
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Helps to prevent wooden and felt parts from binding
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Prevents shrinking and swelling of the soundboard
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Mitigates pinblock damage
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Reduces corrosion damage to strings and pins
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Ultimately prolonging the life of your piano.
VOICING
DEEP CLEANING
Yes, really....
Over time, a piano's tone can change due to wear and tear on the hammers. Voicing improves the overall sound and tone of a piano, restores a piano back to its original tone palate or customizes it to the owner's preferences. Voicing a piano shapes and refines the piano's sound making the piano brighter, louder, mellower or more even across the keyboard.
Reviews
"Amy did an amazing job extensively rebuilding two of our 9 foot grands that we had all but given up on. Her focus, precision and care were incredible. We very much appreciated that she started and finished the work in the timeframe she set up with us, especially as there can be so many unknowns with such a big project. The instruments play and sound beautiful now - it’s as if we got two new concert pianos for the price of a baby grand. What a gem of a craftsperson to work with.”
Brian Seeger – Coca-Cola Endowed Chair in American Jazz Studies, University of New Orleans
"Amy is professional, courteous and a delight to work with"
I.G. - Executive Director
Beth Haverim Shir Shalom, Reform Synagogue Mahwah, NJ
