Piano Restoring

With the news outlets still spouting the news that the economy is still in the tubes, companies reporting that retail sales are continuing on the downward slide many people are very concerned about their own job prospects and the ability to maintain their current lifestyle.

Many people are trying to look at ways to supplement their income with home based businesses or hiring themselves out in their spare time to create additional income. If you have a musical talent, have played the piano and enjoy the beauty that a piano creates not only from its sound but its appearance perhaps piano restoring is something that you want to try.

I have been researching piano movers, piano rebuilders, restorers and repair companies and have come to realize that this industry is very specialized. If you already do any kind of furniture repair and restoration work, you could probably add piano restoring to your list of services if you could locate a piano repair company that does not want to handle the piano refinishing.

of the exterior as part of their services. There is a company in Boston that consists of five professionals who specialize in particular areas of piano rebuilding and restoration and none of them work on the exterior of pianos. They are all concerned with the inner functions and music making ability of the instruments they work on. They are linked with a furniture restoration company that specializes in smoke and water damage restoration along with antique furniture repair and restoration.

Piano restoring can be a simple as replacing a few broken ivories or it can be as extensive as replacing complete sound boards and actions, hammers or pedals. The greater expense in these types of piano restorations usually means they are reserved for those models that command much greater prices even as restored pieces versus newly constructed pianos.

For example, Clevenger Pianos of Wichita, Kansas lists three rebuilt Steinway pianos categorized with their serial number so you can tell when they were originally built and the one that is listed as completely rebuilt with new action, hammers, whippens, shanks and flanges along with new back checks has a “Call for price” listing under it.

Clevenger Pianos also lists a Steinway “L” as is for seven thousand dollars ($7,000) and offers to rebuild it for the purchaser. And finally they list a Steinway ”M” that had a new sound board, strings, damper and pin block that also has a “Call for price” listing. Clevenger offers the following prices for piano restoration on Steinways. For forty five hundred dollars ($4500) you get all new pin block, strings, damper felts, and they will re-bush the damper felt rail, repair and refinish the sound board, and rebronze the plate.

Other piano restoring services offered by Clevenger Pianos are Case Repair and Refinish for thirty five hundred dollars ($3500) either natural or ebony with a hand rubbed finish. If your piano is less than seven feet the price is forty five hundred dollars ($4500) and if it is between seven and nine feet the price goes to fifty five hundred dollars ($5500). Included in the price is the buffing of all brass hardware, but if you want any Nickel surfaces replated there is an additional charge of two hundred fifty dollars ($250).

If the only piano restoring you need is the action repaired, Clevenger Pianos can do the following for you. They will rebuild with Renner Shanks and Flanges (the premier rebuild parts available today), Abul Hammers, Back checks will be rebuilt with the cost of parts with an additional forty five percent for installation, key bushings will be put in for three hundred dollars for front and balance rails, key tops are two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and regulation costs three hundred fifty dollars ($350).

For the best in piano restoring pick a company that specializes in the manufacturer of your particular piece. This will insure they know the nuances and specifics of the instrument to create a truly magnificent restoration. Since the price of a new grand piano can be in excess of one hundred thousand dollars, spending several thousand dollars to restore a vintage or antique piano can create a centerpiece for your home and entertainment for years to come. It can also create a great appreciation for music in your own family as you enjoy your magnificently restored piano.

NY (New York) Piano Movers