Services - Piano Rebuilding & Refurbishing

These two processes are often confused by customers and can even be misused by piano retailers to mis-represent the amount or quality of work done on a used piano.

Rebuilding

involves major craftsmanship work and replacement of three main parts of the piano.

1. Replacing the mechanical 'action' parts. The action or moving parts of the piano are divided into the hammers (and shanks or sticks they attach to) and the whippens or the machine part of the action. See an action model. Over time with heavy play or lack of regular maintenance, the parts may wear out or break. Many pianos made today are not worth this replacement, but a high quality instrument's life may be extended for decades by replacing these parts. Hammers are often replaced when conventional voicing techniques can no longer achieve a desirable sound. Concert instruments may have their hammers replaced every 15-20 years. Quality home pianos might benefit from hammer replacement after 30-40 years. Whippens are usually only replaced on very old grand pianos that feel heavy or concert instruments that have experienced very heavy play and are just worn out. The cost to replace an entire action in a piano can easily be in the thousands of dollars. This cost is only justified in higher quality grand pianos. In uprights, refurbishing is almost always the more economical choice.

2. Replacing of the Pinblock. The pinblock or wrestplank as some manufactures call it, is the heavy multi-laminate block of wood that the tuning pins are pounded in. Over many years of tuning and use, the tuning pins in a piano may become too loose to allow the piano to stay in tune. Each piano string is pulled to between 150lbs and 300lbs of tension. The pins must be tight enough to hold this tension but not so tight that they can't be moved by the technician. Lower quality pianos, even when new, may have pinblocks that are too loose or too tight. This is often a struggle for a technician because the piano is difficult to tune, even when it's new.

   Very old pinblocks can 'delaminate' or come apart between the laminations. This almost always means the end of a piano's usable life. Replacing a pinblock involves removing all the strings, tuning pins and plate from the piano. The pinblock is cut out with a saw and a new pinblock is fitted back into the piano. Once firmly in place, each tuning pin hole must be accurately drilled with precision air cooled drill bits so the hole is the perfect size. The plate is put back in the piano and the piano is restrung and pinned. This rebuilding phase is so extensive and only seasoned technicians ever even attempt it. A poorly replaced pinblock could result in a worse piano then before the work was started. See some pinblock pictures.

3. Replacing the Soundboard. The soundboard is the speaker of the piano. This is the most expensive piece of wood and the most important. Soundboards are made from the best quality spruce available. Spruce planks are fashioned into a large board the size of the entire piano which is attached at the edges of the piano but vibrates freely in the middle. When properly installed, the soundboard is bowed slightly towards the strings which push down against the upward bow. This 'crown' of the soundboard mixed with the tension from the strings, creates a perfect resonator. As the strings vibrate, their energy is transferred to the soundboard which then also vibrates. The vibrating soundboard pushes air, like a speaker cone, and makes the sound of the piano audible. This is how a good soundboard works. See some soundboard pictures.

   As pianos age the soundboard can lose its 'crown'. This destroys the tension that so efficiently transfers energy from the strings to the soundboard. The piano may lose volume and become very muddy and dead sounding. Some pianos have a way of adjusting for the change in crown in an older piano, but most piano soundboard must be replace when this happens.

   Another issue that's very common is a crack developing in a soundboard. Cracks always happen along grain lines and can cause severe buzzing problems as the edges of the crack vibrate against each other. There are ways to repair some cracks, but often the soundboard must be replaced if the problems are serious.

   Soundboard replacement involves the removal of the strings, pins and plate of the piano. The old soundboard must be cut out of the piano. A new soundboard must be built with ribs attached to create the crown. This must be perfectly fitted to the rim of the piano and then everything else replaced. Soundboard and pinblock replacement are often done at the same time because of the huge amount of work necessary in removing all the parts. The description here is highly simplified and the proper replacement of a pinblock or soundboard can easily take many weeks of work and cost thousands of dollars.

A complete rebuild of a piano can often cost $15,000-$25,000 and would only be justified on the finest of pianos. Additionally, a lot of pianos are refinished during the rebuilding process. This completes the rebuild and often returns the piano to brand new condition.

You should question anyone who tries to sell you a 'rebuilt' piano. Ask very specific questions about what was done to the piano and who did the work. There are rebuilding 'chop shops' in Mexico who offer dealers very poor assembly line rebuilding at bargain prices. Before having anyone rebuild your piano ask who will be doing the work and where it will be done. Visit your piano during the rebuilding process at regular intervals and ask for a detailed quote and itemized bill. Also make sure to insist that any additional work be ok'd with you before its started. The used piano market is full of poorly or partially rebuilt pianos that are worth very little even though the owner may have spent thousands of dollars on them.

Refurbishing

usually is cosmetic although it can involve the replacement of certain parts. Refurbishing is much more common and can be done by most technicians with moderate ability. The following tasks might be part of what was done to a refurbished piano.

1. Cleaning and blowing out dust
2. Reconditioning of the outside of the cabinet (polishing the furniture)
3. Cleaning of the soundboard & gold cast iron plate
4. Filing of hammers to remove grooves caused by playing
5. Regulation of the mechanical parts (see above)
6. Replacement of some or all of the piano strings (and tuning pins)
7. Cleaning, lubricating and repair of the existing mechanical parts
8. Replacing chipped or broken key tops with new plastic
9. Replacement of key bushings

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