In addition to his notable music career, James Carney has become one of the most highly regarded piano technicians and piano rebuilders in New York City. He began tuning pianos in 1994, and over the next fifteen years he carefully studied & practiced the technical aspects of piano regulation, repairs, voicing, and troubleshooting. He turned professional in 2008, and quickly amassed a large roster of private clients and recording studios; some of whom he still tunes for 80-125 times annually. Carney's entire piano technology career has been catapulted by word-of-mouth only, with no advertising whatsoever. As of 2026, he has approximately 750 clients, including some of the top pianists/musicians in jazz, pop, experimental, and classical music. Carney also tunes for a large number of high-end recording studios in NYC, including The Bunker, Big Orange Sheep, Brooklyn Recording, The Bridge Studio, The Samurai Hotel, The Power Station at BerkleeNYC, Sear Sound, Human Music & Sound Design, The Magic Shop, Douglass Street Records, The Loove, Strange Weather, Studio G, Yamaha Artist Services, Systems Two, Skillman Music Studio, Pulse Music Studio, Manhattan Beach Recording, and many others. He has also tuned and prepared pianos for two grammy-winning recordings, in addition to dozens of grammy-nominated recordings.

Around 2010, Carney also began rebuilding pianos, gaining hands-on experience at local rebuilders who imparted foundational knowledge on both action and bellywork aspects of the rebuilding trade. For years Carney rebuilt piano actions at his apartment - along with the occasional grand piano - and in 2020 he founded his workshop JAMES CARNEY PIANOWORKS at 68 34th Street in Industry City, Brooklyn.

Since 2020, James Carney Pianoworks has completed about 10 grand pianos as full restorations, including two Steinway Model L grands; a Steinway Model AIII grand; a Steinway M grand; two Mason & Hamlin grands; and two Steinway Model D concert grands for recording studio clients. The fully-equipped shop is capable of all types of “bellywork” and woodworking - including the replacement of soundboards, pinblocks, bridgecaps, backactions, and complete actions. In this same timeframe James Carney Pianoworks has completed 25+ full grand action rebuilds by American, German, Austrian, and Japanese pianomakers; all have customized hammer sets and all feature corrected geometry, weight-prepped hammers, releaded keysets, and optimized/customized touchweight. The workshop features state of the art tools, equipment, jigs, and fixtures, and has become well-known in NYC for being a premiere piano rebuilding shop capable of delivering customized, highest-quality work.

please visit the shop on Instagram to see hundreds of pictures & videos of both client and “spec” restorations  @jamescarneypianoworks.