These are the “Before” pictures of Before and After.
They are in the 88 Keys Piano Restoration Shop.
Please check back for more pianos.
Restringing a turn-of-the-century Wissner upright piano built in New York.
Discolored Hardman upright piano ivory keys. We’ll restore them with bleaching and a fine sanding.
In-stock Baldwin model L grand piano lid being re-lacquered after trauma.
Masked-off grand piano ready for the soundboard to be lacquered after stripping.
Meticulously hanging and aligning a new set of hammers on a grand piano action.
Hamilton upright piano with jagged ivory key overhangs – too far gone for preservation.
In-stock Baldwin model L grand piano fallboard being re-lacquered.
Mendelssohn upright piano waiting for the return of its keys after being re-covered.
Steinway square grand piano built in 1865 during the Civil War. We are repairing the original parts, not replacing them and then aligning and regulating properly.
Steinway Square grand’s tuning pins and plate casting logo.
Steinway Square grand’s ornate cast-iron harp with original paint.
Steinway Square grand’s “Birdcage action” and original strings.
Steinway & Sons “Crown Jewel” Collection Grand Piano.
This 1917 Steinway & Sons model O parlor grand piano is one of the finest musical instruments ever built. It is the largest of Steinway’s “smaller” pianos. This was the golden era of American piano building and Steinway & Sons was the piano that every other was judged by. It is handcrafted and took a full year to build. The Steinway factory held most of the important patents in the industry and the family participated in all of the significant operations. In the world of musical instruments, there are pianos – and then there are Steinway & Sons. The model O features the classic “Steinway sound”; having a strong, singing treble and a powerful bass, rich in high harmonics. The duration of tone (sustain time) is lengthy, which enables legato phrases to be enjoyed. The dynamic range is wide, allowing the pianist to play expressively and emotively. The mid-treble, where most of the melody lines are played “sings” and doesn’t disappear under the background of an accompaniment. It has the power that most pianos aspire to but not the brash “loudness” that often results. This permits the clarity of tone that Steinway & Sons is well-known for – the ability to clearly hear each individual note played in a chord or group of notes. Otherwise, a “muddy” tone results. This instrument is suitable for the more advanced player, professionalpianist or anyone with superior or acute hearing. Any music school, teaching studio and institutional setting would benefit from this piano.
Mint condition and ready for the performance
Hand-made by American and German craftsmen
This piano was completely restored recently in our restoration shop.The very finest materials and construction techniques were employed in this extensive eight month process. Pianos Bolducfrom Montreal, Canada is the company that produces the current Steinway & Sons pinblocks, so we constructed a new highest-quality 5-ply quarter-sawn, tight-grained rock maple Bolduc pinblock and painstakingly fitted and doweled it into the piano’s inner rim. Steinway always glues and dowels its pinblocks rather than allowing them to “float” between the rim ends like nearly all other makers do. This makes their restorations quite a bit more difficult.New, premium German-madeRenner Blue Point hammers, shanks and flanges replaced the originals. They are the same as used in the Hamburg Steinway & Sons models built in Germany. The dampers, wires and damper felts were also replaced with Renner. The repetition levers and springs were replaced with Renner, as were the let-off buttons and backchecks. It was re-strung with new Steinway bass strings and music wire. The flame-mahogany cabinet wasgentlystripped and beautifully refinished by our experts. So was the plate, and re-lacquered with genuine “Steinway gold”, the traditional hue for Steinway plates.
A poignant piece of Steinway & Sons history
The soundboard was in excellent condition surprisingly, requiring no repairs or replacing, so all we needed to do was clean and refinish with fresh lacquer. The original soundboard decal was lost to the refinish but we replaced it with the identical design. It shows the State Seals and Medallions of twelve pre-WW1 countries and kingdomsthat owned Steinway & Sons pianos in their palaces, castles or official Houses of Government. After the war ended, some of these governments no longer existed. The factory ceased applying these soundboard decals at this point in deference to these historical changes. The piano was built in 1917 and this important serial number (187812) is one of the very last Steinway & Sons grand pianos to sport thisunique decal. Due to enforcement of their rights to this proprietary logo these official decals are now no longer available to rebuilders, making this a very unique piano.
Seals and medallions of twelve countries and kingdoms
Complete restoration and refinish
Behold, the aged, yet flawless ivory keys!
The genuine ivory keytops were carefully cleaned and bleached. It is rare indeed to find ivory in such wonderful condition after all these years. They are in gorgeous condition with a warm, soft-white lustrous glow. The wooden sharp keys were cleaned and lacquered blackto perfection. All of the cabinet hardware, plate bolts and casters were re-plated in brass. The new piano-action components have been well-regulated, the new strings stretched and tuned several times, and the piano is finally ready now for concert performances. 88 Keys Piano Warehouse will be happy to warrant our restoration work for two years.
This is truly a historical piece of Americana. The piano was purported to be shipped by railroad to New Mexico shortly after being built. It was most recently sold in 1991 by Riedling Music, the sole New Mexico Steinway & Sons dealership for 75 years.
88 Keys Piano Warehouse & Showroom price – $49,950.
The Steinway & Sons reputation has been established around the world on concert stages, by Concert Grands. The vertical, however, is an integral part of Steinway history and tradition. The company began building vertical “cottage pianos” well over a century ago and today the vertical is a significant part of Steinway’s production. In the 19th century parlor, in the 20th century apartment and conservatory practice room, the need for a fine smaller piano has always existed. The Steinway Contemporary console piano model 100 is just that.
A piano built in the Steinway & Sons tradition which takes up less space than a grand piano and still offers the best qualities of tone and touch which have become the Steinway hallmark. The Steinway console piano is every inch a Steinway. It is built by the same men, in the same plant, of the same materials as a Steinway & Sons Grand. Some consider it better value than most small grands from other makers.
Straight-line simplicity and classic artistry
The cabinet style of this Steinway Contemporary console piano model 100 is designed to blend with any decorating scheme. It combines today’s look of straight-lined simplicity with the classic artistry of the past. The condition of this 1960 model is excellent – structurally and aesthetically. Our technical people evaluated it very carefully. We did our due diligence and the piano received ten-plus hours of tuning, regulation and cleaning in our piano restoration shop. It has lived here in Albuquerque its entire life so it is happily acclimated to our unique climate. With the right care, it will be making beautiful music for decades to come. We are happy to offer a two-year warranty on this instrument. The original bench with storage is included. Professional delivery is also included.
Steinway Contemporary console piano model 100 S# 367007 Mfg. 1960
88 Keys Piano Warehouse & Showroom price – $9950.
Since 1853
This instrument features the classic “Steinway sound”; having a strong, singing treble and a powerful bass, rich in high harmonics. The duration of tone (sustain time) is lengthy, which enables legato phrases to be enjoyed. The dynamic range is wide, allowing the pianist to play expressively and emotively. It is neither overly mellow and dull or overly bright and tinny. The mid-treble, where most of the melody lines are played “sings” and doesn’t disappear under the background of an accompaniment. It has the power that most pianos aspire to but not the brash “loudness” that often results.
Solid construction and meticulous detail
Steinway & Sons holds most of the patents issued to piano manufacturers for action improvements including the exclusive Accelerated Action, patented in 1936 which increases the speed of repetition. The 1868 patented Tubular Metallic action frame maintains proper alignment of the action parts. It consists of seamless brass tubes with rosette-shaped contours, force fitted with maple dowels and brass hangers. The keys are constructed from Bavarian spruce that is high in tensile strength to prevent breakage. The Steinway & Sons pinblock makes it easier to tune the piano precisely and stay in tune longer than others. The Diaphramatic soundboard (US Patent Office – 1936) tapers from five to eight millimeters in thickness from the center to the perimeter. It is constructed from the highest-grade, close-grained, quarter-sawn Sitka spruce from Alaska. Planks are hand-selected to be free of defects and at the end of the day, there is more wood on the floor than actually made it into the piano.
Manufactured in 1986 by Daewoo Corporation in Yeoju, South Korea, this is a classy, beautiful piano finished in high polish “French Vanilla” cream. Sherman Clay was a prominent company which had a group of stores up and down the west coast until the Great Recession of 2008 put a damper on things. The sound is pure and strong across all the octaves, and because of this it was featured in some local inspirational recordings.
