Testimonials
Organizations:
Individuals:
Testimonials
Two Organizations we have serviced:
-
Cooper Music (Atlanta, GA) - 17 years of Steinway and quality grand restorations including:
- Action component replacement
- new hammers
- shanks and flanges
- traveling
- trueing
- voicing
- soundboard, bridge and pinblock replacement and repair
- Restringing
- tuning & regulation
“I have known Fredric Sterry Smith, owner of Sterry Piano Co. for over 20 years. He not only is an excellent Steinway piano technician and rebuilder, he is a man that does what he says he will do and has very high stantards. I am the 4th generation president of Cooper Music and our family has been in the piano business for 106 years, and when I needed a artisan to restore high quality vintage pianos I chose Ric Smith and Sterry Piano Co. He has restored countless pianos over the years for me and I have never had an issue with any of them. If you want a piano done right call Ric Smith at Sterry Piano Co.”
Blake Cooper
President of Cooper Music
404-329-9505
CooperPiano.com
-
Springer Opera House (Columbus, GA) — 2010—2012:
- case and action repair
- pitch raising and tuning
- utilizing our Sterry Piano Institutional Service Contract
- Five pianos regularly serviced including three Yamaha and two Story & Clark
Hampton Bishop
706-681-3527
Here is a sampling of what the Sterry Piano family of customers are saying:
“
Ric,
I can't thank you enough for all you did in support of mine—and everyone's efforts for the concert last weekend. I reviewed the tape from Friday and was amazed at how much better it went than I even remember. Sunday went very very well too.
Looking back on the concert, I recollect your piano was a true pleasure to play; and the orchestra and conductor did a great job. Thanks for all your attention and support!
I hope to play Sterry's piano(s) in the future and look forward to seeing you again.
Sincerely,
Joseph Williams
”
August 11, 2012
“
To Whom It May Concern:
Recently I contacted Frederic (Ric) Sterry Smith with Sterry Piano regarding my Steinway Piano. I was impressed by an article I had seen in The Gainesville Sun regarding a piano Sterry Piano had restored for the Gainesville Women’s Club. Since I have owned my studio Steinway for over 30 years, I was confident my piano needed some major work.
Ric made the appointment to come out and look at my piano. First of all Ric showed up at the appointed time, which impressed me right from the beginning. He spent over an hour examining my piano and discussed with me all the things he felt should be done to the piano. Ric also let me know the items I could do later if my budget did not permit me to do everything at once. I decided to have Sterry Piano restore my Steinway, and commissioned Ric to do the work. We made the appointment for him to come with his staff to pick up the piano, and once again they showed up on time.
Ric told me he expected to have my piano for about 6 months. I was surprised when he called me only 2.5 months later to let me know that my piano was almost ready and would like for me to come look at it. When I arrived at his shop, I was amazed at the difference in how my piano looked. Ric and his staff had done major work to the soundboard, and the refinish on the piano was beautiful. Sterry piano did a great job on everything including replacing the strings and felts.
Within a few weeks Ric and his staff delivered my Steinway back to my home, and Ric has returned two times to make adjustments on the piano at no additional charge to me. He keeps telling me, “I just want you to be happy.” Happy I am...the work Sterry Piano has done for me is extraordinary. The touch on my piano is wonderful, and I am now taking lessons from Anna, Ric’s wife. It has been awhile since I have played, and Anna is a wonderful teacher helping me to rekindle my knowledge from piano lessons I took a long time ago.
I am impressed by Ric, Anna and their staff at Sterry Piano. They are professional in all aspects of their business, and I am happy to serve as a reference for them.
Sincerely,
Ruth Brunner”
Alachua, FL
352-332-7683
“
I am pleased to write this recommendation for Mr. Frederic Sterry Smith, who has already done a great deal for me in the time I have known him.
Mr. Sterry Smith has shown himself to be a painstaking technician and restorer, a tireless worker, an honest, trustworthy, warm gentleman, a genius in his understanding of technical problems and their solutions, and a conoisseur of fine pianos, particularly Steinways, as well as someone who truly appreciates the visual, tonal, and tactile beauties of these instruments. Finally, he is a warm supporter of pianists, having a deep regard for their needs and artistry.
I have two lovely pianos, one of which Mr. Sterry Smith helped me to obtain, a vintage, 1887 Steinway Upright replete with sostenuto. This outstanding instrument needed quite a bit of restoration, due largely to its age. This fine technician has exceeded my expectations in every respect. My newly acquired Steinway and my Baldwin Acrosonic will both continue to thrive under the care of Mr. Frederic Sterry Smith.
I earn my living playing piano for a small Presbyterian church in a small town in Florida. Having earned two undergraduate degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, one in art history and the other in vocal performance, I am highly gratified by the adulation I have received from the many retired teachers of music in the congregation as well as the other members and the pastor who are all lovers of the classics. This has allowed me to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a performer on the piano, even though my musical degree is in singing. Mr. Smith has worked with me to provide me with an instrument at home which is as inspiring as the one I have the privilege to play for a living, a fabulous old Steinway grand. I owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.
I hope that you may also have the benefit of his hard work, technical expertise, and the vast knowledge of every detail of the piano which underlies it all. Add to this the one ingredient which is so difficult to find anymore; He deeply cares about his work, the instruments he services and restores, and the people who use them. He cares enough to do it right the first time and every time.”
Thankfully,
Renee Deuvall Williams
“
With iTunes, YouTubes, Twitters and Tweets abounding in today's world, it is a relief to know that somebody is taking care of that venerable old instrument, the family piano. Our 1946 Steinway upright sits in the living room, uprooted from its adopted home in Wisconsin. It was the piano I learned on as a youngster.
The piano had gracefully aged along with the people who have played it - the difference being that it could be restored. And restored it was, by Ric Smith of Sterry Piano. Pianos age on the inside as well as the outside and we chose to do an inside restoration first. Ric pointed out everything that he thought needed doing then emailed us on the progress with pictures and narrative. It just doesn't get any better than that.
A masterful job by a master craftsman and trained Steinway Technician.
Thank you, Ric, for our new old Steinway...
Playing it makes me feel restored, also.”
Anthony A. “Tony” Zenner, Ph.D
www.mycadott.com
Zenner & Zenner, P.A.
{Speech Therapy Services}
San & Tone Star Ranch
T.H.E.
@
521 NE 452 Street
Old Town, Fl 32680
HM 352-542-7716 CL 352-356-1020
“
Hi Ric,
Our church was erected in 1929 & remodeled in 1942 under the leadership of
the late Reverend, (later promoted to Bishop, i.e., Rt. Rev.) Robert
Cornelius Glanton. My mother is presently the elder of our church.
Ric, Thanks to you and Sterry Piano Company for the wonderful work done on
our Baldwin Console. On a scale of 1 to 10 we give you a 10!
Sincerely,
Cleveland Stockton”
“I commend to you Ric Smith of Sterry Piano Company.
He‘s done a great job for us. He is a fine technician and has a heart to serve. I know he will do an excellent job for you at a fair price.
Dr. James Peoples
Senior Pastor
Trinity Baptist Church”
Keystone Heights, FL
352-473-7261
jpeoples@trinitybc.org
“
My daddy bought the piano for my two sisters and me in 1942. It was a
lovely Walnut Upright Piano made by Kingsbury.
World War II had started and the family was moving to Brunswick, Georgia so
father could work at the shipyard.
We took lessons all during high school. Years passed and we all went
in different directions. The piano was always at home and we played it
whenever we were there. The house was sold after my parents and brother
passed. The new owners lived in South Carolina so they locked the house and
put the piano on the porch for us to pick up. It rained for several days
adding insult to injury and ruining the finish. The piano collected moisture
and was in bad, bad shape. It needed a complete restoration.
Ric Smith, owner and technician of Sterry Piano Company took it to his
restoration shop and thus, it underwent a transformation! He replaced the
front casters and all broken parts, restrung and tuned the strings, restored
the finish, repaired the action - you could say they, “brought it back to
life”.
He maintains it now and it is certainly a pleasure to have my "old
friend" again. I recommend him and his workers for all your piano repairs
and maintenance.
Sincerely,
Roberta
Fruit Cove, FL
”
“
We inherited our piano when we moved into our home. We knew it was a beautiful old piano, but did not know its history or anything about it at all. It was a unique piano, of that we were sure, beautifully painted and designed. But it was in desperate need of some attention and we knew not just anyone would be able to take care of it. It needed more than just a good tuning; it needed to be restored in the fullest sense of the word.
Ric was able to do just that. Taking it down to the bare bones, he brought this beautiful antique piano back to its original brilliance. With a meticulous eye for detail, Ric is a true artist and craftsman. There are not many of his caliber and certainly no others locally that could have done what he did.
Now the piano is a fitting centerpiece in our home and our boys are all learning to play it.
We couldn‘t be more pleased. ”
Avery and Luke Wolff
“I am extremely satisfied with my piano we purchased from Sterry Piano five years ago! It sounds beautiful, and Ric does a great job with tuning and helping me keep the piano in good condition! He skillfully moved my piano down a flight of stairs during a current move! He is highly qualified and does amazing work. Sterry Piano is an honest, hardworking company. Ric and his wife, Anna, are two of the sweetest people you will meet! ”
Tomiko Masouka
“
March 2008
To whom it may concern,
It should be known that Ric Smith is a valuable asset to the Chattahoochee Valley and surrounding areas. He has decades of experience working on world class pianos at concert venues and churches throughout the southeast. He has been my personal piano technician for over three years now. His work is meticulous and guaranteed and he is the only piano technician that I trust my piano upgrades and repairs to.
Sincerely,
Justin Belew
Worship Pastor
Golden Acres Baptist Church
justinbelew@justinbelew.com
”
“Dear Ric,
We can't thank you enough for what you did for our piano. Who ever thought that something as worn and abused as what it was could come out looking as it did?
You may not have known it but my Dad was quite an accomplished musician, capable of playing many instruments but this Wurlitzer piano was his favorite. My first recollection of it was in the mid 1950's as Dad would come home from work and after dinner, sit down a play the kids a catchy tune in the living room. When we moved to Florida in 1960, it of course stayed with us and proudly took it's place in it's new living room, although it did carry some initial battle scars from the move.
As my parents aged, they sold their house and came to live in a smaller venue right next to us at which time, the piano moved in with us. Over the next ten years, it suffered from many things including water damage from plants, too numerous to mention cat scratches from our brood of four cats, cracked keyes, broken bridges within and more knicks and knocked off corners of veneer from the foot traffic around it. We were honestly in the process of looking for someone to give it too as it had become more of an eyesore than a pleasure, regardless of it's sentimental value. We were most fortunate to find one of your business cards up town and after a short dicussion, decided the piano should live on in the Pater family for another sixty years!
I don't know how you were able to do what you did to it, but please know that there is not another piano on the face of this earth that I would trade it for! It honestly looks like it came off of a showroom floor and is brand new. You did Kathie and me quite a service in it's restoration and I feel sure that my Dad, looking down on us now, is smiling once again.
Thank you for your efforts. You not only restored our piano, but restored our faith in classic workmanship. Please take care and stay in touch.”
Kathie and Rob Pater
Keystone Heights, Fl.
“
I am pleased to have had my piano restored by Sterry Piano Co. My 1929 Chickering Baby Grand Piano has been in my family since 1960. I‘ve had the pleasure of playing on it as a child and now owning it for the last ten years. I had it refinished once before, by another company, and had some work on the keys and the action parts, but I never was pleased with the results. The keys were sticking and the sound was never what it should be.
Finally, in 2009 Sterry Piano Co. restored it to its original beauty and sound. They not only repaired some damage done by previous workmen, but replaced many parts. The strings and felt are now new and all the brass is refinished to its beautiful luster. Many parts were repaired and replaced making the sound so beautiful and the playing so enjoyable. The walnut is prettier than I have ever seen on this piano, but more importantly, the workmanship on the parts has made this piano better than new.
I highly recommend Sterry Piano Co. and I have been pleased with Ric Smith‘s professional work and knowledge. It has been a pleasure doing business with him and his company. He continues to keep my piano tuned and I trust that he will recognize anything that might need adjusting and do the necessary labor to correct it.”
Mrs. Robert M. Gilson
May 11, 2010
May 21st, 2010
“
To Whom it may Concern,
I studied under Anna M. Smith from 2003 to 2005, while attending Columbus High Art Magnet Academy, during my junior and senior years of high school. At the time, I was preparing to audition for several music schools with the hope of attending one for undergraduate study.
Anna was tireless in her efforts to help me achieve my goals. She personalized my lessons, catering to my unique needs as an aspiring musician. We worked on preparing audition pieces as well as improving my knowledge of music theory and my skills in sight-reading, improvising, and much more.
Anna even went with me to a local audition, demonstrating just how dedicated she is as a piano teacher. In the end, I was accepted to my dream music school -- The Berklee College of Music in Boston. Without Anna, such a feat would have never been possible.
Although I ultimately decided not to pursue a degree in music, I have worked as a piano teacher myself for the last five years -- an opportunity that allows me to express my love of music and to share with others what wonderful teachers like Anna have given to me.”
Sincerely,
Kristin Taylor
