Piano Restoration & Rebuilding

What happens to a piano as it ages?

The action becomes uneven and less responsive, and the piano's tone loses its dynamic range. Squeaks and rattles may develop after extended or heavy use. Action parts become severely worn, leather and felt wear thin, keys become wobbly, the hammer felt gets too thin to produce good tome, and the action becomes noisy. In addition, the piano strings may begin breaking and the cooper winding of the bass’ strings lose resonance.

Due to seasonal changes, the wood of the soundboard, bridges, and pinblock is weakened. All of these changes cause loose of tone. By this time, the piano’s finish will often be scratched or faded.

Quite often, these upright and grand pianos represent substantial sentimental value to the owners. These family heirloom pieces should be professionally restored to the best condition possible, so that playing these pianos will continue bringing beautiful memories and enjoyment.

At this stage, you can decide to have your piano to either reconditioned or rebuilt.

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      Fine-Quality Restoration may include:
          o Thorough cleaning
          o Repair or replacement of damaged parts as needed, typically including hammer filing, felt replacement, replacement of broken strings
          o Tightening and lubrication of action parts
          o Adjustment regulation, tuning and voicing to return all parts to their proper function, reduce mechanical noise, and improve tone
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      Fine-Quality Rebuilding may include:
          o Complete disassembly of the cabinet
          o Repair or replacement of the soundboard, bridges, and pinblock
          o Replacement of all strings and tuning pins
          o Thorough restoration of action and damper system, including replacement of hammer, many action parts, strings, and most felt
          o Rebuilding of the pedal and trapwork system, including replacement of all worn felt, leather and metal parts
          o Refinishing of the cast-iron plate
          o Complete action regulation, including multiple tunings to stabilize the new strings

We will be happy to help you with technical questions and to offer professional advice in deciding whether your piano needs reconditioning or rebuilding.

Please send us any inquiries or questions you might have and we will respond to you promptly.

In addition to the above examples, you will find below an brief overview of the different phases of piano restoration.