Keyboard replacement

[Joel Rappaport]

David Graham asks about replacing the keys (and possibly the keyframe)
for a Steinert grand piano.

To replace the keys and keyframe, you must be prepared to cut the
keyframe for width and length (frame comes as a whole, oversized
rectangle), make cutouts for the cheek blocks, make and install support
woods for the action stack, wall-in the stack, install glide buttons,
etc. etc.  It is a lot of wood work.  For this reason, we have worked in
cooperation with our friends at the Kluge Keyboard Company in Germnay
(suppliers of keyboards to Steinway - NY and Hamburg - among others) to
offer their putting a new set of keys on your existing key frame.

David, since you did not mention anything drastically wrong with the
frame itself, this might be an ideal solution for you:  practically no
measurements to decide nor wood work to attempt!  They will be putting
in new front rail (FR) and balance rail (BR) pins and usually route out
strips where these pins go and insert hard wood in which to drill new
holes for those pins.

I have heard good reports about keyboards from Bob Marinelli at
PianoTek, too.  If Bob is still doing this, that is also a possibility.
I might mention that the Kluge keys are of spruce wood (as opposed to
sugar pine) which we prefer (and, I guess, so does Steinway since that
is what they are using now) and spruce has not been available from any
USA suppliers of keys.  Also, for those expensive, complete rebuilding
projects, white key covering of bone is now available from Kluge at
extra cost.  This is as close as we can get at this time to ivory.  We
have done several of these bone keyboards and they have been very
successful; professionals still like that porous feel to the keys.
Kluge does a wonderful job of whitening and polishing the bone; looks
and feels great!

Kluge is very flexible.  They will install new capstans if you wish,
just drill the holes or let you do it all later yourself.  They'll leave
BR and FR pins "naked," put on new felt punchings or save all your old
punchings (paper and felt) and reinstall them under your new keys.
There is cloth or leather bushing material available, installed into the
keys at the FR or BR or both.  You can order real ebony wood sharps or
plastic, to keep costs down.

You would have to build a small wooden crate in which to send your old
keyframe and some or all of the old keys to the factory.  Prices vary
according to how much work you want done, shipping costs from your
location and don't forget customs and customs broker's fees.

Anyone interested in pursuing this, can email me your mailing address
(yes, snail mail; remember that?) and I can send you order forms so you
can ask for a quote from Kluge.  Please do this as a personal email so
the group does not get clogged with personal messages.  Also, you might
like to know that Pris and I give a 1-1/2 hour class on this very
subject complete with slides from the Kluge factory showing the whole
process.


Joel Rappaport
Round Rock, Texas
joelr@flash.net