This is part one of a two-part article on the rebuilding process of a piano. If we had posted both the evaluation process and rebuilding process on the same page, it would be quite long! In this first article, we will talk about the evaluation process that we use to evaluate your piano when you are considering having it rebuilt like new again! Where is part two you may ask, well it is currently not completed yet.
So, I was asked the other day by a customer about rebuilding their early 1900s upright piano. While explaining the process to this customer, I realized that it would benefit everyone if I posted a detailed description of a piano rebuild. Even if you don’t have a piano you might find the process interesting and learn a little bit about how complex a piano is. When a customer decides to have their piano rebuilt, the piano is taken into the shop and all rebuilding work is done.
While customers are always welcome to look at a piano any time during the rebuild process, most people are unaware of the exact processes that the piano goes through before being returned to the home. The customer just sees a bunch of shiny new parts but may not fully understand the extensive work that goes into restoring a piano. So, what happens when someone decides to have their piano restored?
THE EVALUATION PROCESS.
The rebuilding of a piano always begins with an evaluation of the instrument from top to bottom at the customer's location. Every part of the piano is evaluated for either total replacement or reconditioning. Reconditioning of parts means that the existing parts of the piano are refurbished to be as close to new as they can be. Of course, this depends on the ware and life of the piano and how well this can be done before replacing it with new parts. Generally, the older the piano, the less you can refurbish parts and would be better off using new ones. For example, on some pianos, you can just reshape the hammers because the string grooves aren’t too deep. But some pianos have been played so much that replacement with new hammers is necessary.
The evaluation of a piano usually begins by looking at the outer case itself. Many things can be determined about an instrument's life just by looking at the outer structure. If it is an older instrument that has not had any refinishing work done to it over the years, cracking of the finish is normal. There also may be small spots of veneer that are coming off. The refinishing of an older piano usually only happens if the piano is being rebuilt and the owner wants it to look brand new.
If an older piano is not refinished and has normal ware, it does not affect how the instrument plays. If the finish is in rough condition, however, it might affect how the piano might look in the home. If you are looking to resell the piano the buyer might request a lower price because of the finish or pass it all together on the sale even if the inside is new. I would always recommend having the piano refinished if it is within the budget to do so. After looking at the case, the inside of the piano is evaluated for needed replacement or repairs.
One of the first things that are checked is the torque of the tuning pins. To hold pitch piano tuning pin should have no less than 80 PPI or pounds per inch of torque. Any lower than this and the pin will slip causing the pitch of the note to change. Sometimes the pins are so loose that a piano cannot be tuned to standard pitch. The tuning pin of a piano is held in place by the pin block that sits behind the plate. The plate doesn’t hold the pins in place although it may seem that way.
The pin block is a block of hard rock maple glued and laminated so that the end grain of the wood presses against the tuning pin from four or more directions. Wood fibres expand when exposed to increased humidity, and contract when exposed to a decrease in humidity. Because of many year cycles of expansion and contraction, the wood around the tuning pins loses its grip causing the notes to go out of tune. If the strings and tuning pins are extremely corroded, they will be replaced with brand-new ones. Not only do new ones look far better, but new strings will give you a far better tone than old worn-out strings. The strings of a piano will generally last around 60 years or so before they should be replaced.
EVALUATING THE PIANO ACTION.
When a note on your piano is played, the energy from your finger instantly puts a carefully balanced system of levers and springs into motion. Five pivot points simultaneously swing the combination of parts into action causing the hammer to quickly strike the string but come off the string fast enough so that the hammer is not pushed up against it causing a dead thud instead of a pitch. Felt cushions at all contact points prevent action noise from intruding upon the music produced.
This carefully balanced system is what is known as the piano action. The action of your piano contains most of the 8000 parts and can be thought of as the heart of the piano. If the action is not in good working order you can be assured that the piano will not play well if at all. The action is made up of mostly wood, springs, felt, and leather. The piano hammers for example are made almost entirely of felt. After many years of piano playing the parts become compressed and begin to wear and either total replacement or refurbishing of parts is needed. Hammers become misshapen, felts and leather are worn from compression, springs become rusty and weak, and wooden parts may even dry out.
EVALUATION OF THE KEY TOPS.
Depending on how old the piano is will determine if the keytops are made of ivory or plastic. Some pianists like the feel of ivory keys and wish to keep the keys original. If made of ivory, and if there are no chips in the keytops, the keys can be restored without having to replace certain tops. If the keys are not too deeply yellowed, there are a few methods for restoring them.
If any of the tips of the keytops are badly worn and chipped, you can either replace the entire set with plastic keytops or restore the ivory tops with old ivory stock. Repairing ivory keytops with their ivory equivalent is a very time-consuming and expensive process but may be worth it to the player. If the player is not picky about the keys, the ivory keys can be replaced with plastic keytops. This process is easier and far less expensive than replacing ivory. If the piano already has plastic tops and is in good condition, not much if any repair will be needed.
THE KEY BUSHINGS AND KEY BED.
If you were to remove a piano key, you would see that it sits on two metal pins. One pin is in front and is oval-shaped while the back one is round. These pins fit into holes in the bottoms of the keys where the holes are aligned with small strips of felt on either side. These felt strips are known as key bushings and are designed to help the keys move smoothly and silently up and down. After many years of play, these felt strips wore down causing the keys to rattle, wobble, or feel “sloppy”.
Key bushings are always replaced during a rebuild making the piano play tighter and smoother. You will also notice that there are felt washers as well as smaller paper washers sitting under the medal key pins. These felt, and paper washers play a critical step in the way the piano plays because they deal directly with the height of the keys and interact with settings made on the action so that the piano may play at its best. Felt is normally soft and pliable but after many years it can become hard and stiff causing the noise. Paper washers can crumble if not replaced. Sometimes a mouse or three has decided to snack on some of the felts. Replacing all the felts and small paper washers is a standard for piano rebuilding and should always be done. Depending on the condition of the key pins, they are either replaced or polished to be like new.
EVALUATING THE SOUNDBOARD.
A soundboard is located on the back of an upright and the very bottom of a grand. The soundboard of your piano is responsible for amplifying the sound of your piano. Without it, it would be just as quiet as an electric guitar without an amp. The best soundboards are made from Sitka spruce planed to about W (9.5 mm.) thick. This equates to 5.8ths of an inch. Extremes of humidity and dryness can cause a solid spruce soundboard to expand and contract and may cause cracks along the grain. To avoid this problem, some manufacturers use laminated (plywood) soundboards, which are guaranteed not to crack for the life of the piano. In small spinets and consoles, the tone quality is approximately the same whether the soundboard is solid spruce or plywood.
In larger pianos, a solid spruce board sounds better, even when cracked, unless loose glue joints at the ribs, liner or rim cause it to rattle or buzz. It is extremely common to see a crack in a soundboard. This does by no means mean that the piano is ruined. I’m not so sure how that myth even got started. Small cracks in a soundboard can always be repaired during the rebuilding process. If the board has many major cracks running along its length, however, it may be better to replace the soundboard with a new one.
EVALUATING THE PIANO BRIDGES.
It is the job of the piano’s bridges to connect the strings to the soundboard so that the sound may be amplified. A piano has two bridges that are glued directly to the soundboard. The treble and tenor strings pass over the LONG BRIDGE, and the bass strings pass over the SHORT BRIDGE. The use of two bridges allows the strings to be cross strung (or overstrung) – which positions the bridges on the central and most resonant portion of the soundboard. The bridge on a piano is a long strip of wood usually made from several strips of beech or maple which are laminated on top of each other.
The top of the bridge is capped with a thicker, solid strip of maple with Metal BRIDGE PINS driven into the top. The strings run over the top of the bridge at very high tension, so the wood must be hard enough to keep the strings from digging in. The pins keep the strings spaced and aligned properly and must not be lost in their slots causing the tone of the note to die early. It is common for older pianos to see small cracks in the top layer of the bridge. These can usually be repaired properly with epoxy. New pins are standard in a piano rebuild and will ensure a good connection to the soundboard.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE PIANO IS EVALUATED?
After an evaluation occurs and if the customer is happy with the estimated costs, the piano is then moved to the shop to start the rebuilding process. This process can take quite some time (3-6 months) depending on the time of year, the time it takes to receive ordered parts, and the overall workload of the technician. The piano is always moved to the shop by professional movers that are ensured from one location to the next. This offers good protection for you and your piano!
CONCLUSION.
This concludes part 1. Stay in touch for part two where we will detail the actual rebuild process that the piano will go through. If you have any questions or would like to have us evaluate your piano for a rebuild, feel free to contact us through the form below.
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