Rebuilding uprights

[D.L. Bullock]

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I have indeed seen numerous upright pianos being rebuilt....right here in my
shop.  I recrown the soundboards, and am often stunned by the huge sound
they have once again.  No I can't tell you how to do that.  There is just
too much to it.  Perhaps I will write an ebook someday.  It will take
extensive pics as well.  I have five or six uprights per year to do.  About
half of them are players, which we also specialize in.  Even though the
piano salesmen in this town have brainwashed most folks into believing their
line that "You should just throw that old piano away.", we have more work
than we can ever get done.  I like the victorian uprights most.  The actions
are mostly replaced and every spring and piece of felt or leather is
replaced as well.  I only replace a soundboard if someone drove a truck
through it.

I have had a couple with such bad water damage that the soundboard and all
the back wall timbers collapsed into a pile of separate wooden pieces.  One
had the soundboard separate into a stack of spruce about 8 inches wide.  All
got glued back together and I loved getting to sculpt a crown into the old
and some new ribs.  The piano has been back together over a year and it
roars.  All with the original board.  I love it if I can remove the
soundboard to recrown it, but most are too well attached.

I find most of my customers have Grandma's piano.  Some Grandmas have me do
the piano so they can hand it down to the grandkids.  They don't care that
it costs over $10K for rebuilding Mammaw's old player piano.  They aren't
going to sell it.  I have several fine musicians willing to spend the money
on an old upright because they know how much it costs to buy an equivalent
Bechstein or Steinway.  The last time I checked (a while back) a full sized
52" Bechstein was $40K  A fully restored high median to top quality brand
name upright from 60-100 years ago will out class the sound of many a new
piano costing more than the restoration of an old one did.

D.L. Bullock
www.thepianoworld.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Erwinspiano@aol.com [mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 9:46 AM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Rebuiling uprights


 With snips:

    Although our usual rebuild is some form of grand piano this year I've
had a small run of people willing to rebuild solid post Victorian uprights.
No boards but full sets of bridge caps, strings, key&action work & hand
rubbed lacquer refinishing of the cases. These piano are well preserved
Calif. pianos with boards still offering musical potential & of course the
never to be seen again Victorian beauty.
  These pianos are by brand name,Schaaf bros. 1903, Mason& Hamlin 1908.
Baldwin 1885,(one of the first) & A Steinway k 1911. This is really weird.
We don't usually do more than one per year. My question, is this a trend
anyone else is seeing?
   My criteria for agreeing to take on these projects is that the boards
must still sing & not seriously cracked up & that basically a very good
musical & aesthetic outcome can be assured. If the piano is a train wreck I
don't take the job & I tell them the truth. Nothing marginal. been there
done that & it's no fun.
  It's true (at least in Ca) that perhaps one in twenty uprights is worth
doing in the musical sense but none except the Steinway is worth doing in
the financial value sense. Make cents? Any way, despite my disclaimer
statements to the client (prior to rebuilding) as to its Monetary worth
after rebuilding, which is that it wouldn't probably retail for half what
they had in it they still choose to do it. The reasons are: Family piano, we
liked the old look and sound. It sound better than the new pianos. The case
is gorgeous. They'll never make these again etc.
  That's it. I guess there's folks with money & a different sat of
priorities out there willing to do this. Oh yeah I love these  Pianos man.

Dale Erwin
Erwins Piano Restorations
4721 Parker Rd, Modesto, Ca. 95357
erwinspiano@aol.com

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