Who Will Do The Restoration Work for Andrea The Piano?

Who will do my restoration work?
That is a loaded questions!

Not too long ago
a story appeared in a local newspaper about me.
Boy, did tons of folks have opinions and comments
about who should do my restoration work,
about where I should get it done.

I mean,
if your piano is the basement
you haven't made the best decisions
regarding your piano
and really aren't in a good place
to offer opinions about what's best
for someone else's piano.

And if your piano got new strings 50 years ago,
well, I hate to be the one to break the news to you,
but you are about ready to for new strings again.

But you know,
my pianist owner
has been on top of all of this.
She has researched and made phone calls.
She has been in touch with people
who have pianos like me.

There's a place in Detroit that can give me new strings.
However, they won't give me new pins
or do a thing to the pinblock.
Well, that's like trying to put a nail
in the same hole.

And there are other folks in Michigan
that have experience restoring antiques,
however, they made it very clear
that they know very little
disassembling and reassembling an antique piano.

And some folks
just never bothered to call her back.
I mean,
if you can't or won't work with me
at least let us know.
But they didn't even want to talk about me
and the work I need.

I could go on and on,
but I think you get the idea.

My pianist owner
finally started calling companies out of state.
Time and again those who do restoration work
on old pianos
started to recommend one particular place.
So, she contacted them.

They were very detailed
about the work that needed to be done
and about how they would do it.
They also made it very clear
that the full restoration would take
a full year to complete.

Now that just makes sense.
It takes a year to craft a Steinway.
But before that,
it takes two years to dry and prepare the wood.
It only makes sense
that a full restoration
would take one full year to complete.

So, who did we choose
to do my restoration work?
The Antique Piano Shop
located in the state of Tennessee.

Hey, Michael Stinnett,
I don't know when I'll get there,
but I hope you'll be ready
to take good care of me!!!

Andrea, The Piano

How Much Will it Cost To Restore Andrea The Piano?

First of all,
let me say that my pianist owner has done extensive research.
She called and inquired to places in Metro Detroit, Michigan,
and indeed, all over the United States.

She decided on the Antique Piano Shop in Tennessee
for a variety of reasons.
I'll write another blog post explaining why
we chose this place for my restoration work.
The numbers in the blog post, then,
reflect what it will cost for restoration work at this particular shop.

A Grade 2 Restoration, which includes strings, pins, hammers, felts, woodwork and so much more, will cost $22,000.00.
(you can visit The Antique Piano Shop for complete details on a Grade 2 Restoration).

Moving me from Michigan to Tennessee will cost $900.00.
Repeat that dollar amount for the trip back home.

A finished matching historically correct Victorian piano stool
will cost $500.00.
(Please note that a piano bench is actually 20th century, 
something that started as a fashion trend.)

-QRS/PNOmation (player action) will cost $7,500.00.
Please note that the Antique Piano Shop
is the only shop in the United States
that will work this feature on Square Grand Pianos.
This should further give you an idea of just how unique
and special a piano I am!

Grand Total for Restoration Work: $31,800.00

     -Andrea,
         The Piano 

Imagine. . . .

"Imagine me restored
Ivory repaired.
Music rack refinished
Strings and pins replaced.

"Imagine all the music
that could come from me. . .

". . you may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one.
I hope some day you'll join us
when the fund raiser begins!"

(pianos dream, too!)

    -Andrea,
       The Piano.

Andrea, Can You Tell Us What Happens To Pianos As They Age?

Andrea's Piano Strings

What can happen to pianos
after time?

Well,
you're asking the right question
as I am a piano
that is 142 years old!

Many, many things can happen,
even to the finest pianos,
when they age.

As pianos are made of wood,
well,
things can happen.
Some pianos can suffer many dents,dings and scratches
over the years.
Some pianos may need refinishing.
Pianos, such as myself,
can have many ornate moldings.
With time,
some of the moldings may have gotten chipped or damaged.
Some of the moldings
may even be missing.

I have a round stain.
At some point in time
one of my previous pianist owners
kept a house plant on me.
The plant got overwatered,
and,
unfortunately,
so did I.

Elderly pianos may have missing hammers or felts.
I have both of these problems.

Older pianos
may also have ivories
that have yellowed.
Sometimes the ivory
is chipped or cracked.
Some of my ivory is missing.
And some of my ivory
has actually fallen inside.

Now,
it's only older pianos
that actually have ivory keys.
Ivory hasn't been used on a piano keyboard
since 1972,
due to ivory laws.
Since 1972 pianos have plastic keys.

I, however,
have my original ivory keyboard.

And now,
let's talk about strings.
Most modern day pianos
have 88 keys,
though some square grand pianos before me
had 61 keys.
Eighty-eight keys is pretty standard now.
And each key has 3 strings.
The average life for strings and mechanisms
is about 50 years.
Sometimes a string will break
or there are other problems,
but for the most part
we can expect strings to last 50 years.

I have my original strings.
Though out of tune,
I am playable.
My pianist owner
doesn't want to have me tuned
for fear that the excess tension
will cause the strings to break.

Still,
my strings have lasted
almost 3 times longer
that what is normal.
This, indeed,
is yet another testament
as to what a fine instrument
a Steinway piano really is.

But,
alas,
my strings are old.
They need to be replaced,
as do my hammers, felts
and pin block.

I am a very special piano
with very special needs.
Please stop and take a few moments
to think of ways
you can help me
reach my goal
of a complete restoration.
In the weeks to come
I'll be offering several suggestions.
For now, though,
you have some idea
as to what can happen to pianos
as they age.

Historically yours,
Andrea,
The Piano.