Piano Restoration

With over 12,000 parts in the typical piano, there is a lot to consider when restoring a piano. And yet they are amazingly durable instruments that after decades of use can be brought back to like new condition, and this process can be repeated several times in their lifetime. Restoration means different things to different people. To some it means doing whatever it takes to make the piano just like new. To some it means making an old, neglected instrument playable again within a budget. And to many it falls somewhere in between. Whatever your needs, with over 35 years of experience, I can work with you to make your piano what you want it to be. And of all the things I do in my business, I am most passionate about pianos. In the "Golden Age" of the piano industry before radio and television, factories employed artisans who took genuine pride in making fine instruments. There was fierce competition among the major manufacturers to produce the best instruments they could, and craftsmen made lifelong careers out of their craft. I never fail to get excited about bringing an instrument back to it's potential. Here you'll get to see the steps involved in a full restoration. Although most pianos don't need everything, this Knabe grand, built in 1915 and restored several times, must have had a hard life, as it needed almost everything either replaced or repaired, so it makes a good example to show what is involved.

Although not too bad if you stand far enough away and don't try to play it, this piano was the victim of some real shortcuts during it's last rebuild. Add to that who knows how many years of hard use since then, and it's ready for a proper restoration. Knabe is one of the great names in the American piano industry, and this piano has the potential to be great

again. The last refinish was a travesty. There were large and small pieces of veneer patched into the side of the case to cover up damage. It was done in an open grain finish, which is totally inapropriate for any quality piano, and the decal with the piano's name on the fallboard was masked off and finished around. Strings were starting to break from years of corrosion, and the soundboard had new cracks as well as old cracks that were poorly repaired. The action was worn and out of adjustment and hammers had been replaced with inferior hammers that would never let this piano sound it's best. The first step in the restoration process after evaluating the instrument is disassembly.

After removing the action, the lid and all removable cabinet pieces, the process begins.

When the piano is up to pitch, there are nearly 20 tons of tension on the piano, so strings need to be removed carefully to avoid tension imbalance that could crack the iron plate.With the strings removed, we get a better look at the soundboard, and this one has some new cracks as well as some old repaired cracks that have come apart. Since we'll be refinishing both the plate and the soundboard, the plate is removed with an engine hoist for total access to the soundboard.

You can see the buildup of dirt and discoloration of the soundboard. Although purely cosmetic, if we're going to restore the piano, let's make it beautiful. After cleaning and sanding the board. the first step in repairing cracks is to open up the cracks to make them large enough to accept a shim. The shim is made from the same spruce wood as the soundboard for visual and tonal compatability. The shim and the crack are shaped for a perfect match, then the shim is glued into place. The shim is then sanded flush with the surface of the soundboard. After repeating this process for each crack, the soundboard is ready to be finished.

After the cracks are repaired, the piano goes on it's side to check the ribs and repair if necessary. Ribs have two purposes. Since the soundboard is only 1/4" to 3/8" thick, they give structural support to the soundboard. Additionally, they transmit the string vibrations across the entire width of the soundboard. If the glue that holds the ribs to the soundboard fails, the ribs can vibrate against the soundboard, causing a "buzzing" sound. This piano had 2 loose ribs that were reglued to restore their integrity.

The plate is made of cast iron and supports the nearly 20 tons of tension that the approximately 220 strings exert on the the frame of the piano when it is up to pitch. Removing the plate to address the soundboard issues above afford an excellent opportunity to refinish the plate. After removing the old string felt, the plate can be prepared for finishing. I like to grind down the rough casting areas that were common on older pianos for a more "finished" look. Sanding the chipped paint from previous refinishes also makes for a better finish. If the plate is particularly rough, as this one was from numerous