WAG – January, 2012

Music is eternal. Pianos, not so much. That’s where John P. Ford comes in. He is owner and president of Ford Piano Inc. in Peekskill, a fourth-generation business that specializes in rebuilding the popular instruments.

The Journal News – June, 2010

Step into the confines of Ford Piano in Peekskill, and the trip from the sidewalk to repair shop is like stepping into a past century.

The history of Ford Piano begins with a skilled cabinet maker from Hungary, John C. Fekete, arriving in the U.S. in the 1890′s. He began to work in the largest industry in the country at that time – The Piano Industry! Business was booming in New York with over 200 piano factories (such as Steinway [...]

New York Times – June 2001

In the piano-rebuilding business, most of the work is done by specialists. Belly experts fix cracks in the soundboard and repair the pinblock, which holds the tuning pegs of the piano. Refinishers are the trade’s cosmetic surgeons. Action masters ensure that each key lines up straight and that the hammers hit the strings at the proper angle with the right amount of force. Tuners add the final touch, turning discord into harmony [...]

Westchester Business Journal – April 2001

John Fekete, who emigrated to the United States from Hungary in the 1890s, opened Fekete Pianos about 1912 or 1913 in Manhattan. Fekete ran the shop until his death in 1957, passing on the business to his son, John, who changed his family name to Ford and the name of the business to Ford Piano Co. He died in 1999 and his son, John Jr., who was “pretty much born in the piano shop,” continued the business in 1985 to keep alive the family tradition [...]