Rebuilding and Restoration
Remove plate
Old soundboard and pin block
Remove old soundboard finish
Bridge cap layout
Treble bridge recap
Newly refinished soundboard
Bridge marked for down-bearing
Bridge pin templates and old bridges compared to new bridge
Bridge pin hole marking tools
Awl punch to start marked bridge pin holes
Drilling new bridge pin holes
Protractor guiide for bridge pin drilling angle
Bridge pin drilling tool
Cleaning and renotching old bridge top
Rebronzed the plate
installing plate on refinished soundboard
Old pin block
Soundboard replacement -glueing ribs to soundboard in contoured press
Old and new Steinway soundboards
Glueing new bridge cap
Rib thicknessing using old rib as a model
Soundboard replacement - hand contouring of ribs
Soundboard replacement - inner rim cleaning
New pinblock being fitted to plate flange
2 Steinway A bridges after routing for soundboard crown
New soundboard clamping
New bridge tops burnished
Starting cuts for bridge notches
Bridge bottom contouring to match soundboard crown
Router carriage to contour new bridge bottom
Router carriage to contour new bridge bottom
Bridge laminates - vertical hard maple strips
Restrung piano
Finished and ready for shipping!When a piano owner is faced with the need to rebuild, repair, or purchase a used piano needing repair, there is a good deal of information that needs to be understood.
Two questions are your starting point:
1. Is this instrument a good candidate for the needed work?
2. Can the needed work be properly completed?
The information in our “Appraisal” section will help you with this as it is the first step required prior to any “Rebuilding” to determine musical and economic viability.
The term “Piano Rebuilding” is often a catch-all phrase used to describe a variety of approaches to upgrade the condition of an older instrument. Several other “catch-all” identifiers include refurbish, restoration, re-manufacturing, refinishing… none of which precludes the buyers need for diligent understanding as to the exact services offered.
Normally a candidate piano for “rebuilding” shows failure of major functional components. Common services are action part replacement, string and pinblock replacement, action touch-weight adjusting and sometimes soundboard and bridge replacement. Attendant services such as moving and refinishing also need to be considered.
Pianos have historically been improved and designed to become more reliably and efficiently built so as to be durable and enjoyable for the long term. Unfortunately, price point economy and competition have undermined that common perception. Along with high quality, durable products, the marketplace may also provide an abundance of low quality instruments and repair methods that provide less durability and satisfaction than expected. Do your research to avoid surprises.
Beginning in 1972, our business has evolved to offer comprehensive restoration processes. We began as musicians who relied on our instrument’s consistency and durability to encourage our musical goals. We believe that performance and reliability provide the highest satisfaction and apply this principal to our projects.
The following pictures are of some of the processes involved in piano rebuilding performed on a variety of top quality pianos. Not all instruments require all processes but if the work is necessary it can be provided.