Testimonials

I first met Benjamin when he tuned my 1935 Bluthner grand. It took 3 hours because it needed a pitch raise prior to the actual tuning. I found him quite chatty and (technically) communicative, which is crucial when engaging someone to do extensive work on the instrument.

Throughout my conversations with him, I have learnt that he has personal contacts within the deeper music community and has picked the minds of master technicians like Walter Hass or Kwan Ek Sion. Thus, in matters of piano touch and tone, like regulation services or tunings, one can have relative trust in whether a piano’s touch and tone (when technically assessed) is well conceived or in need of improvement, outside of subjective personal tastes.

My piano’s action had (too heavy) modern hammers which were not well matched to the old Schwander style action. This created an unbalanced sound with a far heavier bass against the treble that made the piano unpleasant to play. Benjamin took the action to his workshop for corrective work and later, an implementation of Precision Touch Design, plus a full regulation. I was apprehensive of PTD and the high costs but the results of it are absolutely practical, though it will probably take a lot more time for me to have conclusive opinions. As of now, the piano plays very responsively.

Benjamin seems to have keen interest in taking older pianos and servicing them with a low compromise regulation. It may mean that new parts or basic corrections are in order before actual regulation. So, for the budget-conscious, keep this in mind.

I’m very much an advocate for this approach too, as this gives piano players access to a high performing instrument without incurring the superlative costs of brand new premium pianos. For a piano enthusiast without the fastest fingers around, having a piano like this can be very enjoyable.

My wife felt that our Shigeru Kawai SK2 was sill playing fairly well, as did friends (including concert pianists), who played on it. It was starting to sound a little dull, so we opted for a regulation with the full “PTD” service.

The results of 88Keys’ work were beyond expectations — tone, consistency of touch and playability have improved noticeably. Without doubt, the PTD has made an already good instrument much, much more satisfying to play on. Thanks Benjamin!”

enjamin performed an extremely thorough and meticulous regulation and tuning on my Yangtze River grand piano. This service included the implementation of Stanwood’s Precision Touch Design (PTD), which has greatly transformed its touch response.

The weight of the keys now feels slightly lighter, providing an ideal balance that combines agility with a feeling of control over the instrument. This improved action has made the piano significantly more responsive, allowing for much greater precision when voicing individual notes. Furthermore, the tuning has resulted in a noticeably clearer tone across the entire scale.

Benjamin is a tireless professional who is dedicated to his craft, sparing no effort to nail down the correct parameters for the instrument. He is that rare breed of expert who combines genuine passion with high-level technical experience. You will be hard-pressed to find another professional like him in the market, and I wholeheartedly recommend his services.

Ben did an excellent job with the regulation and tuning of my Steinway grand piano. My piano had been stored sideways for a few weeks during the renovation of my house. Subsequently, the keyboard felt stiff, as if porridge had been poured into the mechanism; totally different from the supple feel when new. I called in a couple of well-recommended technicians, none of whom were able to fix the problem. Then I asked Ben to look at it. He made a very thorough study of the keyboard, as well as asking me detailed questions of my keyboard touch preferences. The level of detail of analysis was night and day compared to experiences with other technicians. He briefed me thoroughly on the options for improving the touch. We agreed on the approach and when the action came back from his workshop, I was astounded by the improvement. I had given up hope of restoring the piano to the feel when new, but this is indeed what Ben achieved. A little later I made a visit to the Steinway showroom and confirmed that the feel was indeed as good as new.

Ben also tuned my piano. Again, Ben explained different options for tuning, something other technicians did not get into. Prior to the tuning, there was a slight harshness to the tone which I had attributed to the hard walls near the piano. After the tuning, this harshness was significantly reduced.

In both tuning and regulation, Ben carefully consulted with me before proceeding, gauging how much or little I was wanted done, and my tone preferences.

Ben is extremely passionate about his craft. He studies global best practice in his field. He has also invested a lot in sophisticated tools to support his work. I think it would be hard to find another person in Singapore with this combination of passion, state-of-art knowledge, physical skill and sophisticated tools.

I can give a whole-hearted recommendation on using Ben to service a piano. My experience with him far exceeded my experience with other piano technicians. He is in another league.

Benjamin did an extremely thorough and meticulous regulation on my Bosendorfer grand piano action which has totally transformed how the piano “feels”. It is now more responsive and capable of a wider dynamic range. He is tireless and dedicated to the craft, sparing no effort to nail down the correct parameters which he expertly deems as best suited for the piano. Benjamin is that rare breed of professional who combines both genuine passion, expertise, and experience. You will be hard pressed to find another expert like him in the market and I whole heartedly recommend his services to anyone.

Ben brings genuine passion to his craft. In addition to expert piano tuning, he is highly skilled in piano restoration, approaching each instrument with precision and care. I highly recommend Ben as a trusted professional in his field. He is also generous in sharing his knowledge, reflecting both his expertise and his commitment to the craft.  Thank you Ben, for taking meticulous care of my Steinway’s tuning needs.