Joseph Illos, Registered Piano Technician
Who is responsible for the work
Joseph Illos is an active member of the Piano Technicians Guild and a Registered Piano Technician, in the guild's Chapter 142 here in Buffalo.
Every piano that comes through our shop is worked on under that standard. As the company has said on this site for years: as an active member and Registered Piano Technician, he is able to provide qualified service anywhere in the United States through the guild.
What a Registered Piano Technician is
RPT is the Piano Technicians Guild's professional designation. In the guild's own words, "a Registered Piano Technician has passed a series of rigorous examinations on the maintenance, repair, and tuning of pianos and is the industry's proven seal of quality."
It is worth being precise about what that does and does not tell you. It is a designation earned by examination in maintenance, repair and tuning, awarded by a trade guild. It is not a state licence, and it is not a guarantee about any particular instrument. What it gives you is a way to check that the person working on your piano has been tested by their peers rather than simply advertising.
The guild keeps a public directory of Registered Piano Technicians, and you are welcome to look us up in it.
Who else does the work
One technician does not rebuild a piano. Our company is comprised of skilled technicians and support staff which include craftsmen, sanders, strippers, trained woodworkers, wood finishers, piano movers, piano builders and tuners. All of our work is completed at our own facility, on Main Street at Hertel Avenue in Buffalo, rather than subcontracted out.
That matters for accountability as much as for quality. When a rebuild takes months, the same shop that measured the downbearing and quoted the job is the shop that strings it, regulates it and delivers it back.
The record
Illos Piano Restorations was established in 1961 and is family owned and operated. The clearest evidence of the standard we work to is not a biography, it is the list of people who have trusted us with their instruments: school districts, colleges, churches, theatres, orchestras and museums across Western New York and beyond.
- The reference list, kept on this site for years
- The Steinway concert grand at Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin Complex, which we restored
- The manufacturers we rebuild, and why those instruments are worth the work
- Our history, and how the shop is put together
- How a full restoration actually proceeds, stage by stage
Ask us anything
If you want to know who will be handling your instrument, or what we have done with a piano like yours, ask. Call 716-832-0013 or use the contact form, and you will get a straight answer, including when the answer is that your piano is not worth the money.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Registered Piano Technician mean?
It is the Piano Technicians Guild's professional designation. The guild states that a Registered Piano Technician "has passed a series of rigorous examinations on the maintenance, repair, and tuning of pianos". It is earned by examination and awarded by the trade guild; it is not a state licence.
Can I verify the credential independently?
Yes, and you should feel free to. The Piano Technicians Guild publishes a directory of Registered Piano Technicians that anyone can search, and our Buffalo chapter is Chapter 142.
Will Joseph personally work on my piano?
A rebuild is the work of the whole shop: craftsmen, woodworkers, finishers, builders and tuners, all in our own facility. If you want to know who will handle a specific part of the job, ask when you call 716-832-0013 and we will tell you.
Who else can vouch for the work?
School districts, colleges, churches, theatres, orchestras and museums, many of them listed on our references page. Ask us and we will arrange a reference for a restoration comparable to yours.