Nori’s Piano Service

Honestly, don’t even bother looking for another piano tuner and call Nori-​san right away! Nori-​san is extremely professional and patient. He is not only trained by Yamaha as a specialist in piano tuning, but he really takes great care of your piano. My past tuning sessions did not last more than 1 – 1.5 hours, but Nori-​san took a total of 3 hours on our piano. Our piano was put in the storage for about 8 months and needed some good tuning and attention. Nori-​san not only did the tuning carefully, but he also even took the liberty to help us correct the keys and check on the insulation. Nori-​san is also extremely patient in explaining the piano needs that he sees for your particular piano and shares his knowledge openly and directly. We already booked our next appointment with Nori-​san early next year as piano tuning is a long-​term relationship. In the beginning you want to correct much of the irregularities and then you can switch to 6 – 9 month cycle of tuning. I highly recommend Nori-​san for your piano tuning servicing! Just ensure to call him early and book because he travels between Los Angeles and the Bay Area and may not be available at all times in one or the other place. Enjoy the perfectly tuned piano and happy playing!

I rarely have time to write reviews, but Nori’s service was so phenomenal that I simply can’t stay silent. He was punctual, professional, knowledgeable, extremely thorough, and friendly. He’s fairly new to SoCal, but he’s absolutely a rising star!
MY PIANO PROBLEM:
I have a fairly old Samick upright piano. Not the greatest quality, but it’s adequate to teach my 9 and 7-​year old how how to play. About a year ago, we started having issues with breaking keys (at least I think that’s what they’re called). We managed to have technicians repair a few keys, but one of our keys was beyond repair, or so we thought. We had it repaired a couple times, but the second repair was more expensive, and the key broke again just days after the repair. The worst part was that this key was one of the middle keys. So basically, every song that the kids played sounded off and periodically horrible.
EXPERIENCE WITH NORI:
While I thought that the piano was a goner, my wife wanted to give it one more shot. Hence, she did some research and found Nori. She left a comment on the «schedule appointment» button with her email address. Within an hour or so, Nori replied back with a few follow-​up questions. In response, my wife called him and explained the condition/​issue with our piano. Believe it or not, Nori was at our door in about 30 minutes.
It sounded like Nori was stopping by just to take a quick peek. But when Nori looked at the piano, he pulled out his tools and immediately went to work. Not only did he open up the casing, but he literally started taking things out of the piano. He literally inspected every single key. He also showed us the shoddy patch job that previous technicians had done. He literally took the keys out, piece by piece, made necessary repairs, and put everything back in, piece by piece. In total, he found seven keys that were either cracked or poorly glued together.
We’ve had repairs done in the past, but this experience was totally different. Nori does what no other technicians do. He repairs pianos in almost the same passionate way that he plays them. Not only did he fix up the defective keys, but then he started inspecting the levels and spacing of the keys. He even did some minor tuning for free. As he did this, he meticulously explained the condition and importance of every component. He did this with the utmost professionalism. I don’t know if it’s because he’s certified by Yamaha, but Nori is just a different breed from anyone else we’ve hired. He is the consummate professional.
The crazy thing is that by the time that Nori was finished inspecting and repairing our piano, two hours had elapsed. But because of Nori’s pleasant and patient demeanor, we had no idea that he had spent so much time and labor on our piano. After he was done, Nori suggested that we get the piano tuned soon. He also mentioned that he could really improve the sound quality of the piano by filing the hammer tips, and by poking little holes (voicing) the hammers. But no pressure to do so. I still can’t believe it, but he was only going to charge a ridiculously small amount of payment for the entire visit.
By the end of this experience, we realized that we had found gold. We immediately scheduled the follow-​up appointment. Again, Nori showed up punctually and showed the same level of professionalism and courtesy on the second visit. During the second visit, he spent over three hours tuning, filing, and voicing the piano. Again, he took apart the piano and explained what he was doing. Afterward, he cleaned the piano and then played it for us so we could hear the difference.
MY PIANO POST-​NORI:
The piano sounds so much better. But more importantly, my kids have been banging away at the piano, but the (previously broken) key has held firm.
MY ENDORSEMENT:
I offer my fullest endorsement for Nori. He is the consummate professional. He really knows what he is doing. And the price of his services are totally reasonable.
I doubt anyone can find this type of quality and pricing anywhere else in SoCal. If you need to repair your piano, do yourself and your piano a huge favor by hiring Nori.

I actually have two reviews for Nori. My wife and I were in the market for a quality pre-​owned grand piano, and we found one on Craigslist that seemed as though it might suit us. Knowing that it is important to have it checked by a qualified technician before purchasing, we searched Unilocal for a technician in Pasadena, where our would-​be sellers lived. I was initially a bit hesitant about using Nori because he did not have any local reviews, but upon researching him, I found that he used to work in the Bay area, and has done most of his work there before relocating to Los Angeles.
Nori is trained in the the Yamaha factory in Japan, and he was and is very friendly and accommodating. In the Bay area, he worked for a piano shop and was responsible for the setup of the pianos sold in the shop. We arranged with Nori that we would visit and play the piano, and if it seemed buy-​worthy, we would call him and have him come check the piano for us. He agreed to stand by for our call, and sure enough, we wound up calling him to come check the piano.
Which leads to our first review of Nori, for his piano technician/​buyer checkout of the piano:
Nori was reliable and punctual, meaning he waited for our call as promised, and arrived 15 minutes after our call with his briefcase/​toolbox. He is affable and friendly, and a native Japanese speaker, but his English is great. Upon arrival, he began a very thorough check of the piano, crawling beneath it to observe the soundboard, and basically taking the piano apart to remove the keyboard and the action, checking the hammer wear, and observing any other items that might need attention or maintenance if we purchased the piano. Once he was done, he advised us on the piano’s condition, told us what little work the piano would need (basically some tuning and voicing), and gave us the thumbs up on the condition, clearing our way for purchase, which we completed. We highly recommend Nori to anybody seeking to have a used piano checked out before purchase. This is an integral step in the buying process, because frankly, quality pianos cost a lot of money and you need to be able buy such an instrument with your eyes open to any problems with the condition of the piano beforehand, not after. Because of Nori’s expertise, we were able to buy this piano knowing exactly what we were getting.
Which leads to our second review of Nori, for his tuning and voicing at our home:
We had the piano picked up and delivered day or two later (see my review of Affordable Piano Movers), and we arranged for Nori to come to our home that same day for its initial tuning after being moved.
Again, Nori was punctual and arrived with his briefcase/​toolbox in hand. Once in our home, Nori set about to work on our piano, with two goals in mind: (1) get our piano in tune (it was not really out of tune, but did require some work because it had been moved), and (2) work on the voicing in the upper register, which needed to be brought into balance with the mid-​register.
What is there to say? Nori worked quickly and deliberately, and he did a very nice job on the tuning and voicing. Piano tuners are folks who you will likely develop a relationship with, since they will (hopefully) be coming to your home and tuning your piano with some regularity each year (i.e., you will see your tuner more often than you will see a lot of your relatives). Nori is a professional who answers any questions thoughtfully and without any arrogance at all. He is just a very nice fellow, and seems quite eminently qualified to work on your piano. He did a fine job for us.
When it came to pay, we were happy to find that he accepts charge cards, and he also volunteered to give us an initial first-​time discount on our tuning because we found him on Unilocal.We committed to give him a first-​rate review on Unilocal because frankly, our experience with him on the two occasions we needed him was excellent, and because when we find somebody who is great to work with, we believe that experience should be shared. Thanks, Nori. We enjoyed working with you, and we are looking forward to having you back to work on our piano in the future!