Get To Know Our Technicians
Our Registered Piano Technicians have Experience, Provide Excellent Service, and are Committed to Continued Education
Mark Allen | RPT
Registered Piano Technician
Mark is a lifelong musician originally from New Jersey where he was born into a talented family of musicians. His love of music led him to pursue a degree in music at Visible Music College, a small music school in Memphis. Since graduating in 2014, he has played piano and guitar professionally as a performing musician. He has also taught piano and music lessons privately for several educational institutions in Tennessee, Missouri, and Kansas. Mark’s love for piano technology was sparked while working for the Yamaha piano dealer in Memphis where he began learning about piano tuning and maintenance services from the shop technician. Being a pianist, he understood how a finely tuned and maintained instrument should sound and feel.
Piano Technology Education
In 2021, Mark successfully began his professional training, completing a formal piano tuning course. He has continued to develop his craft by attending the Midwest Regional Conference held in Kansas City, offered by the Piano Technicians Guild. Mark is currently serving as the president of the Piano Technicians Guild’s Kansas City chapter. He will continue to participate in the professional development and training opportunities offered by the organization throughout the year, including the National Conventions held each summer. In 2023, he began working with the team at Vanguard Piano Service, where he continues to develop his trade by performing field tuning and repairs. Mark completed the rigorous Piano Technician Guild’s certification exams, earning the designation of Registered Piano Technician (RPT) in 2024.
“What an amazing experience with my Vanguard technician, Mark. He did a terrific job, and my piano had not been tuned since before the pandemic. He took the time to carefully explain my piano and any and all issues to watch for in the future. He was pains takingly careful with my piano and all furniture around it. Beyond that, he gave me history on the piano itself, when it was built and more about the company. The piano sounds fabulous! If I could’ve given Mark and Vanguard 10 stars, I would have.”
—Carol S. via Google
Ty Uphoff | RPT
“While a passion for music and for sharing music is arguably not necessary for fine work on a piano, I couldn’t imagine doing this without it.”
Experienced Technician
When choosing a technician, experience matters. Ty Uphoff began his technical training at the age of 16. With over two decades of experience in multiple states he has serviced thousands of instruments. It takes years of training to learn the skills necessary to service a piano and more years afterwards to be able to do both quality work and do so in a timely manner. While experience is an important component of choosing your technician, arguably one could have decades of experience without advancing their knowledge.
In addition to over two decades experience as a technician, Ty plays the piano. His expertise in piano care and maintenance comes from a passion for achieving the best playing experience. While being capable at playing the piano may not be required to service one, playing well enough to speak the language of the most discerning players is critical when it comes to bringing the best out of their instruments.
Continued Education
Beginning with a one on one apprenticeship, Ty continues to further his education through monthly meetings of the local Piano Technicians Guild that include technical drills on many varying aspects of piano technology. He attends week long annual international conventions, continues to train with major manufacturers, and he attends regular webinars with industry leaders in various specific skills of the trade. Through extensive testing, he has passed all the requirements to become a Registered Piano Technician of the Guild, a credential achieved by fewer than a ten active technicians locally and fewer than 2,500 piano technicians worldwide.
“Ty was FANTASTIC!!!!
He took time and answered all of my questions and gave really great Suggestions about my piano.
I’ve already written Friends to tell them about my super experience with Vanguard and Ty.
Thank you, Cathy C.”
— The Julie and Daisy Show via Google
Because, it matters.
Punctuality
We value your time and will make every effort to arrive for our scheduled appointment on time and efficiently complete the scheduled work.
Bonded and Insured
Often overlooked, when working on instruments whose value can exceed $100,000 it is vital the technician be bonded and insured.
What is it like to work with us?
“Ty came out to give my new (to me) 67 year old Steinway S her first in-home tuning. He went above and beyond! He spent a lot of his valuable time on me and Ella. He didn’t just tune her for me, he fixed a sticking F# key, which involved taking the whole action out and the close examination of all the itty bitty moving parts involved. Then, he fixed the wiggle in the lyre (learned that term from him today), and also, he fixed the squeak coming from my damper pedal’s spring. He was thorough, courteous, and very willing to teach me a little about everything he was doing. Which is awesome, because I am endlessly curious and pianos in particular fascinate me! I will definitely be having Ty take care of Ella’s future maintenance needs!”
“Mark was friendly and provided information about the process and what to expect from the service. Appreciated his work.”
“Gave my piano a thorough cleaning (not sure it had ever had one) and brought it into tune after 4+ years without tuning. Eric was professional, thorough and friendly, will definitely reuse their service.”