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RESTORATION
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my procedure, the case is dismantled as far as possible without
disunion.The
condition of the rim, beams, crossblock and keybed is checked,
with fortification executed as necessary. |
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Gutted
rim ready for new soundboard
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Broken
and missing pieces of cosmetic veneer on the exterior are replaced.
The ancillary case parts (the toplid, for example) are checked
for splitting and delamination. New components are manufactured
and fit as required.
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Fitting
new legs and pedal lyre
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One
of the two operations I do not undertake personally, the application
of the closed-pore, hand-rubbed new lacquer finish, is subcontracted
to Kevin Hancock (www.hancockrestorations.com),
a world-class piano refinisher located in the Baltimore area.
Once returning from his shop, all the nickel plated hardware
and decorative felting is reinstalled and the grand piano once
again takes shape in glorious new clothing.
^back to top
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Steinway
O finished in African Mahogany
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BELLY
RESTORATION
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the rim goes a new soundboard. It is my opinion all vintage
pianos require new soundboards. Some may take issue with this
position. Consider this: the current new piano production quota
at Steinway & Sons hovers between six and eleven instruments
per day, depending on economic factors. Steinway’s mindset
is not to scour the globe for their vintage grands only to remove
their soundboards for installation in these new instruments:
they make new soundboards - up to eleven of them every day.
There is nothing magic about a 90-year old soundboard panel.
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New
soundboard being glued into rim
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magic, should it exist, is how a soundboard is fabricated, shaped,
installed and ultimately loaded with string downbearing, regardless
of its date of birth. |
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Replacement
ribs fitted in Steinway O rim
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mere ease of removal of a 90-year old soundboard from its rim,
i.e. its decrepit glue joints, is sufficient argument to install
a new one, all other acoustical and mechanical benefits notwithstanding.
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Removing
a decrepit soundboard
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replace the bridges and pinblock as a matter of course as well.
It is said the bridgework dictates the cleanliness of piano
tone. I’m proud to state the bridges emanating from my
shop are considered exemplary by fellow high-end rebuilders
nationwide and manufacturers alike. |
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Poor
factory bridge making
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Bridges
being carved
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Finished
bridgework
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plate is refinished in vintage Steinway gold, hand lettered,
fitted with new agraffes, hitch pins and felts, and the serial
number is reapplied. Only the finest music wire from Roslau
and bass strings from G.C. Bass Strings are utilized. |
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Aligning
agraffes to the strings
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Newly
installed string hitch pins
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Reapplied
model and serial number
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With
this work complete, the belly projects effortlessly and immediately,
possesses ample sustain, and can lyrically provide the full
musical dynamic range. No matter who may make the claim, no
amount of action regulation or hammer voicing can save a mediocre
belly job.
^back to top |
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New
belly job on 1886 Steinway model C
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ACTION
RESTORATION
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The
vibrant belly now needs a mechanically efficient and expressive,
tactile keyboard and action to set it singing. With few exceptions,
to idealize action geometry I install an entirely new keyset,
which can be covered with either standard acrylic keytops or
legal, pre-ban ivory.
Genuine ebony is used for the black keys. I draw up the specifications
for these replacement keysets and have them made by the country’s
finest key maker, Rick Wheeler, RPT (www.roselandpiano.com),
located in the Pacific Northwest. |
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Typical
new keyset
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Low-friction
keypins
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Ultra-light,
low-friction key capstans
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Backchecks
and keyend felt on new keys
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These
keys set a new hammer action into motion, consisting of Steinway
hammers, Renner hammer shanks and whippens. I insist on Steinway
hammers: they are imperative to producing the classic Steinway
tone.
At the rear of the action lies the damper system. The original
actuating levers are replaced with Renner units, and the dampers
themselves get refinished and refelted, along with all guide
bushings. |
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New
Steinway hammers and Renner action parts
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Typical
restored keyboard and action stack
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Refinished
damper heads with new felts
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Further,
the pedal lyre is rebuilt, modern adjustable rods are fitted,
and innovative positive stops for the three pedals are installed.
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Lyre
ready for regluing
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Merely
installing and regulating new action parts, however, is only
half the story. The weight of the new parts is critical to effortless,
expressive playing at the key. My actions are balanced to produce
ideal touchweight (downweight) and maximum upweight (repetition)
with minimal inertia and momentum interference. As such, the
keyboard becomes an extension of the artist’s hands, permitting
him or her complete artistic freedom. Many clients have been
moved to tears upon playing their remanufactured instrument
for the first time in my showroom, never before realizing the
piano’s potential.
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Establishing
ideal keyboard touchweight
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