Scroll down to see the piano restoration process!

About this piano:  This beautiful square grand piano was built by William Hall & Son circa 1850, a time when more square grand pianos were being built in America than both upright and grand pianos combined!  This piano is made of Brazilian Rosewood, now an endangered species, and is of the carved Rococo Victorian style.  It is fascinating to think that with the endangered rosewood and the endangered ivory keys, this piano could not be built today!

It is important to understand that the interior mechanisms of square pianos are very different from baby grand and upright pianos.  Parts are not readily available for them through common piano supply companies, and many less experienced piano tuners may discourage their restoration and preservation.  Here at The Antique Piano Shop, we are set up to manufacture all of the obscure parts for square grand pianos  on a case-by-case basis, giving us the ability to do a complete and historically correct restoration on square pianos like this one.

This piano suffered decades of neglect and abuse which left it worn, broken and virtually unusable. Because of its age and level of deterioration, the instrument required a complete frame-off restoration.  The owner opted to have the Pianomation player system installed in this piano so that it can play by itself in addition to being played manually by hand!  Over 10,000 songs are available!

Square grand pianos like this one have a softer, more "harp-like" sound quality than modern pianos.  It is fascinating to consider that when this instrument was built, there was no artificially amplified sound and the hustle and bustle of the industrial revolution was just beginning.  The sound of nature or perhaps the a steam locomotive would have been the loudest noise one would have ever heard.  Because their ears were accustom to the solace of very little noise, our ancestors considered the soft, "harp-like" sound quality of the square piano to be very desirable.

Scroll down to see the piano restoration process!

Piano Restoration Process:

Assessment & Disassembly

The piano is carefully disassembled and every individual piece is carefully recorded and labeled.  All hardware and screws are removed, and the action and keyboard are removed and disassembled.  The elaborately scripted "WILLIAM HALL & SON" label with is carefully measured and copied so an exact duplication can be put back on the piano during the restoration process.  Since parts for this piano are not readily available, we must make the parts "in-house".  Our crew assesses the instrument to see what custom-made parts will need to be made.

Piano Restoration Process:

Cabinet Repair & Refinishing

The old faded finish is carefully removed and the bare wood is repaired, re-glued and carefully sanded.  Broken and missing pieces of the cabinet are repaired and replaced.  Multiple coats of stain, sealer and lacquer are applied to the case, each coat painstakingly sanded smooth for lusture and clarity.

Piano Restoration Process:

Soundboard Repair & Re-Stringing

The old brittle strings are removed from the piano and each individual string is measured for diameter and size.  Decades of dirt and debris are caked on the soundboard and bridges.  The harp is removed from the piano and is carefully cleaned and the beautiful hand-painted art work on the harp is painstakingly restored.  The old-growth wood soundboard is is restored, and the bridges are re-capped for optimum sound quality.  A new pin block is hand made for the piano.  The harp is reinstalled in the piano, and new strings are carefully installed.

Piano Restoration Process:

Action & Keyboard Restoration

The original ivory and ebony keys are in terrible condition, but our team goes to great lengths to restore them.  Chips in the ivory are filled and multiple missing pieces of ivory are replaced from donor ivory saved from other pianos.  The ivory is treated with peroxide and UV light then polished.  The mechanical action of the piano is moth eaten and dry-rotted which will present a challenge to restore.  Because the parts for this instrument are obscure and not readily available, we specialize in making all of our parts "in house" on a case-by-case basis.  Our amazing action team was able to duplicate every last part of this square grand piano action both by hand and with the help of CNC machines.

PHOTOS OF PIANO

AFTER COMPLETE RESTORATION

What a stunning transformation! A professional, historically accurate frame-off restoration makes the piano look and play like it did when it was new. The carved Brazilian rosewood cabinet is absolutely stunning once again!

The owner opted to have the Pianomation player system installed in this piano so that it can play by itself in addition to being played manually by hand!  Over 10,000 songs are available!  Listen to the piano play "That Old Black Magic" in the video below.