Piano Rebuilders

Have you ever moved any distance and had your piano moved by a regular moving company like Mayflower, United or Atlas Van Lines? While all of the national moving companies offer a piano move as part of their service, I have found in my research that they really do not know how to move a piano as well as someone who specializes in piano moving does.

If you are moving a piano with a national moving company, look at their insurance offering. If you are being moved with a relocation package make sure that you choose the highest level of insurance if your piano has a high appraised value. The chance of your piano being damaged during a cross country move is highly likely.

If when your piano is unpacked and you find damage, you will need to find a local piano rebuilder who can address the specific damaged part of your piano. A furniture and antique piano restoration company can handle the exterior finish of your piano but will not be well versed on the ins and outs of rebuilding a piano. There are too many variables that affect the sound quality of an instrument like a piano that only an expert can really address and make better with their rebuild.

Almost every piano moving company that I have come across also either has piano rebuilder on staff or has an affiliation with a company that specializes in piano rebuilding, repair or restoration. The first step is to identify the damage and then locate the available companies in your local area. There are a few areas that you can search that will give you very good results.

Unlike most kinds of businesses like carpet cleaning or lawn service, you can not just ask your new neighbor to recommend piano rebuild. If your piano is of concert quality, the likelihood of any neighbor having a similar instrument is very small. Angie’s List also will probably not have many listings in their archives for piano rebuilders. That leaves the Yellow Pages, the internet and the local symphony orchestra or local school band or music teacher for recommendations.

Once you have looked through the possibilities, and have chosen a few likely candidates, make sure that you check their file at the Better Business Bureau. Also ask the companies for references from people who have had models of pianos like yours repaired or rebuilt.

Anyone can buy a Yellow Pages ad, but it does not make them qualified to handle extensive repairs or rebuilds for pianos of all types. Some piano rebuilders specialize in certain makes like Steinway and Sons or Mason and Hamlin grand pianos.

When rebuilding any piano a master craftsman must consider all aspects of a piano and how the repair will affect the systems the repair interacts with. Any rebuild starts with the keys. Good keys visually add to an instruments appearance and are the foundation for good action to make a wonderful sound. A piano’s sound is integrally tied to the action of the keys and its sound board. A well finished case protects the keys, sound board, strings and all of the interior parts necessary to create the best sound.

There are several areas that need to be addressed when rebuilding a great instrument. The keys, belly, and action are the main areas addressed during a rebuild of the interior of a piano. Each of these areas has its own particular nuances in a rebuild depending on the manufacturer as well.

There are a group of craftsmen in the Boston area that believe a proper piano rebuild takes several steps that a one stop shop really does not address well. This consortium consists of five professionals who specialize in different areas of a rebuild as mentioned before, the keys, the belly area, and the action and the exterior finish of the piano. They believe that each expert can do a better job due to the specialized nature of each process.

They have come together to provide the ultimate in piano rebuilding service and even recommend a piano mover for the area that moves over three thousand pianos annually and has been in business since the 1960s. If you are in the Boston area and need any part of your piano rebuilt give The Piano Rebuilders a call at 978-486-0610.