A musical echo from the past.

  Its remarkable condition testifies to the thought and care put into its construction and the quality of its materials. Its voice is still clear and resonant, delicately tinged by its age with a far-off quality, as though it sings of other days and other times. This staid vintage Chickering studio upright piano was lovingly refurbished and cultivated in the 88 Keys Piano restoration shop. Only regular maintenance like incremental pitch correction (tuning), piano-action regulation, a thorough cleaning, (inside and out) and some minor repairs were needed. Nothing major. We are happy to offer a two-year warranty. The sturdy original matching duet bench with music storage is included. Complimentary local first-floor professional delivery is also included, which is a bargain given how difficult this style of piano is to move.

Own a piece of Americana! 

This fine musical instrument is also a unique piece of furniture in the art-deco style. Note the four legs instead of the usual two on other upright pianos. They are intricately carved and lathed with decorative ferrules at the bottom. The natural keys are genuine, original ivory and they are in unexpectedly great condition. Ivory can turn yellow, crack, craze or chip. The sharp keys are hardwood and lacquered jet black. Modern sharp keys are plastic. Its pedal lyre is freestanding like a grand piano is and it is shaped like a stringed lyre the angels play. The pedals on an upright normally protrude from the cabinet. The cover for the keyboard is a two-piece Boston fallboard featuring a long piano hinge. Due to its design, it will never scratch the sides of the cabinet or warp and become wedged inside.

Only the finest old-growth lumber was used at the time in history when this Chickering piano was built (not true today, certainly). Quality lumber was cheap and plentiful. Only perfect cuts of wood were considered by the expert wood inspectors, so a lot of quality wood was left on the floor at the end of the day after cutting around undesirable grain-structure areas. The cabinetry finish veneers are constructed with an interesting tight-grained rich dark mahogany wood. The pedals and other hardware are solid brass, not plated. It would be an intriguing focal point of any formal room, den or library.

The Chickering Piano Co. was founded ©1823 by Jonas Chickering and James Stewart in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm was named Stewart & Chickering for a short time. They were the first American piano manufacturer. Jonas has been referred to as “the father of the modern piano”. He introduced a harp (or plate) with the first practical one-piece solid iron casting for uprights and grands in 1843. Its function was to hold back the immense amount of string tension, 10-20 tons of it, given the piano. He introduced the first over-strung bass string scale in 1850. These are the last two major technical innovations that define today’s pianos. Jonas brought his three sons into the company in 1852 and changed the name to Chickering & Sons. In 1853 Jonas passed away and the sons ran the company into the 1890’s. The company grew and thrived during the second half of the 19th century. By 1908 the sons had passed and the firm lost headway and was sold to the American Piano Company. The factory continued to be located in Boston until 1927 when a new factory was established in East Rochester, New York. The Chickering piano continued to be built when the company evolved in 1932 into the Aeolian American Piano Company which was a major force in American piano manufacturing until its demise in 1985. Then the Baldwin Piano Co. acquired rights to the name and built a line of Chickering pianos until they too went bankrupt in 2001, ending the manufacturing of Chickering pianos. Those pianos bore no resemblance to the quality of this vintage Chickering studio upright piano.

Original matching duet bench with storage included.

Rounded theater shape in the art-deco style.