Upright Piano Restoration

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Complete Upright Piano Restoration Service

Total Upright Piano Restoration Service

  • Upright Piano Restoration
  • Total Restoration Service
  • Contact David Wood
  • Call: 01524 410202
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Promenade Music’s Piano Restoration Service

Most pianos, even well maintained ones, over 60 years old are prone to progressive failure of major parts including: the wrest plank (the wood block behind the frame that the tuning pins go in to), collapse of the dome of the soundboard and / or fracture of the joints of the soundboard, cracking of the bridge, worn actions, rusted and pitted strings. For restoration purposes, the age of the piano is not critical, providing the frame is not cracked between the tuning pins. Although a cracked frame can be repaired it is rarely wise to do this.

When a customers piano is complete, we aim for it look and sound like it did when it was new. Our customers satisfaction is our main priority.

Is a full renovation the right thing for every customer with an old piano? Absolutely not!

We Only Recommend Our Piano Restoration Service To Two Kinds Of Customers.
1) The customer who owns an old World class piano like a Steinway, Bechstein, Grotrian, Bluthner or Bosendorfer. Unfortunately, the cost to renovate most other makes is higher than the piano is worth when restored. With a Steinway, Bechstein, Bluthner or Bosendorfer, the full restoration cost could be between two to five times cheaper than buying the new equivalent. An example of this is when we restored a Bechstein Model C. The restoration cost was less than £15,000 where the new equivalent is approximately £70,000. Often the Steinway, Bechstein, Bluthner and Bosendorfer pianos that we renovate are relatively worthless (£300 – £3000) in the state they’re in when they come in for restoration, but if the piano has the right specification, it will become a beautiful restored piano giving many years of enjoyment to the owner.
2) The customer who has a piano that is dear to them. An instrument that gives fond memories of a loved one is worth renovating for the sake of the sentimental value (not the monetary value).

There’s much more to restoring a piano than just polishing and cleaning the case and brushing the felts and strings down. To sum up in a few lines, what will take the most highly skilled craftsmen between ten and twelve weeks to complete, is a difficult task, but here goes. Although everything is under one roof, there are three basic stages of restoration that our team have to complete. We have the case workshop, the acoustics workshop and the action workshop. We do all the work simultaneously.

Case Restoration
Nothing commands the attention of one’s eye like the sight of an beautifully renovated piano. Many customers buy a piano solely for that reason.
The Process: The first step is to analyse the state of the case and inspect the body, legs, lyre, music rest, fall etc. It is important to check the legs for cracks. If the legs can’t be repaired they will be entirely replaced. We then strip the old varnish / finish. If there’s any missing veneer, this must be replaced, often we will need to fully re veneer the whole piano. If the original case or case parts (e.g. pedal lyre) are damaged, our wood sculptors will repair (or make a replacement) to its original appearance. The most important stage in the sculptures work is the appropriate wood preparation. Straight-grained wood, dry seasoned and without any defects is the optimal sculpture material. When all the woodwork has been finished (repaired or replaced), prior to staining and varnishing, the piano is pre-assembled to check the matching of the planes, parts and components. The final part of the case renovation, the finish (e.g. polyester), can begin. This is a very long job and the finish must be as perfect as possible. All hardware is either re-plated bright nickel or high polished if solid brass and then clear coated with a special clear coat before reassembly. All case felts and rubber buttons are replaced and then final assembly is completed.

Acoustic Restoration
The characteristic rich tone of a World class piano is the result of the soundboard, bridges, strings, iron frame, pin block, tuning pins, hammers and piano case. Our renovators skill, gained through years of experience, is the intangible ingredient that will take the ingredients and make them into a piano that is capable of expressing the deepest human emotions.
The Process: Prior to string dismantle, a careful plan of the original string layout is made and is critical for the final effect of sound generation in a restored piano. Once the string layout has been measured and recorded, the strings are dismantled and the frame disassembled. The soundboard renovation may then start. The pin block will be replaced and new tuning pins will be fitted. The soundboard will be stripped, repaired, rebuilt, bleached, dried and varnished along with the full renovation of the bridge. Following the original dimension layout, the soundboard will be elevated to its appropriate level and fixed in the finished case. New fallboard and soundboard decals are used. While renovating the soundboard, the Iron frame will be stripped and a new coats will be applied to the cast-iron frame before being mounted back in to the case before being and re-strung. String tension is assembled and adjusted. The acoustic body is finished.

Action Restoration
The piano action, consisting of anything up to 12,000 parts (remember there’s 88 keys on most pianos), has to be rebuilt to respond to the most demanding musical passages, as well as to the most subtle quiet passages. The dynamic range between fortissimo and pianissimo presents the action renovator with a demanding and exacting set of challenges.
The Process: The action condition is diagnosed in the case. The Action is then totally dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt using replacement parts (e.g., hammers, shanks, dampers, felt pads, springs, leather elements etc.) from the Worlds best manufacturers like Abel, Meyne or Renner. After string mounting, the completed action is replaced and adjustments and regulation can begin.

On completion the renovated piano will need the same attention as a new instrument in terms of regulation and stabilisation tuning. New strings need time under tension before the metal crystal structure develops to give long term tuning stability.

The final effect of the restoration is a splendid instrument, with a magnificent sound and gorgeous appearance which will live for many years and be a source of joy and happiness to the owner.

So, if you see an old dilapidated World class piano at auction, on Ebay or as part of a bereavement sale, you know who to contact for restoration.

Upright Piano Renovation Price
– Case in transparent polyester high gloss or satin
– Metal parts
– Sound board and acoustics inc decals
– Iron frame work
– Re-string (bass & treble)
– Tuning pins and pinblock
– Action renovation inc hammers & dampers
– Concert voicing and regulation
– Keyboard renovation
– Ivory renovation or plexi key tops
– Removal costs

Upright Piano extras (approximate costs depnding on specification)

Contact David Wood for more information about Promenade Music’s piano restoration service on 01524 410202.

Additional information

Weight 10 kg
Dimensions 0.00 × 0.00 × 0.00 cm
Manufacturer