Piano Renovation

Just what is involved in piano renovation?

These are the main areas:

• Soundboard and Bridges (repairs or replacement)
• Action Rebuilds (with subsequent Hammer Voicing)
• Subsequent Regulation (key-dip, let-off/ set-off , spring tensions, damper lift-off, sustain lift-off, etc.)
• Stringing
• Subsequent Alignment (hammers/levers/dampers)
• Keys and Key-Coverings
• Pedals and Trapwork
• Casework (repairs, re-veneering, stripping and re-polishing, alterations/modernisation)

Exactly what needs to be done will vary from one piano to another, but most older instruments need to be re-strung, and many need an action rebuild at the very minimum.

Where a high-quality piano has lost the ‘sparkle’ to its’ tone (even with new hammers), a soundboard replacement becomes necessary. This is akin to putting a new engine in a car, and will prolongue the life of the piano for a very long time (probably by at least as much as a hundred or more years!) If done well, installing a new soundboard will bring the instrument back to its’ former glory, and help to maximise its’ potential.

Renovation and rebuilding is extremely labour-intensive and only worth pursuing for higher-quality pianos.

For those with a keen interest we recommend reading Piano Servicing, Tuning and Rebuilding by Arthur Reblitz, (Vestal Press, ISBN 0-911572-12-0).

The ethos we have at Art Music is that if a piano is worth restoring then we will do whatever is necessary in order to ensure that its’ full potential is reached, ie not only to make the piano pleasing to the eye, but also to sound and feel inspiring to play (having a good touch, tone and dynamic range).