Scroll down to see the piano restoration process!

About this piano: This beautiful piano was built by The Emerson Piano Company of Boston in 1892.  Emerson was one of Boston's oldest and most successful piano companies with a reputation of building high-quality, expensive instruments.  Emerson was a pioneer in the evolution of piano manufacturing, and the firm held a number of unique design patents.  One of Emerson's more unique approaches to manufacturing was their technique of creating their remarkable "enhanced finishes".  These finishes were achieved by artistically faux-graining elaborate wood grain patterns over ordinary wood in order to make them look more exotic and expensive than standard finishes.  This method of "enhanced finishes" was so realistic and believable that even the most discerning eye could not determine the difference!  This method of "enhanced finishes" is an art form in the truest sense, and The Antique Piano Shop is one of the only places in the industry able to recreate this process with true historical accuracy.

Because of some serious issues, several piano tuners told the owners that it could not be repaired.  The instrument had a cracked harp and an unusual enhanced faux-grain finish, two issues that caused every other restoration shop to turn down the project.  No one else was capable of restoring the cracked harp or replying the enhanced faux-grain finish, but our experts were able to restore the piano with substantial success!

This piano is a family heirloom.  Rather than buying a generic new piano, the owners of this piano wanted the instrument to be restored with historical accuracy so it could be passed down to future generations.  Years of neglect and abuse had left the piano in dirty, unusable condition.  The once beautiful rosewood finish had chemically broken down and turned black over the years and the elaborately detailed copper panels had tarnished and lost their brilliance.  The felts, leather and strings were brittle and rotten, requiring the instrument to have a complete, frame off restoration.

Our expert team was able to restore the original "enhanced" rosewood finish with historical accuracy.  We were able to restore the cracked harp and the original old-growth wood soundboard, saving the original soul and voice of the instrument.  The interior of the piano was completely restored to like-new condition, ultimately bringing the instrument as close to it's factory-new condition as possible.  The piano will now serve its family for another hundred years!

Scroll down to see the piano restoration process!

Piano Restoration Process:

Assessment & Disassembly

Years of neglect have left this piano in dirty, unusable condition. Each individual piece of the piano is disassembled, labeled and recorded.  The elaborate EMERSON BOSTON CABINET GRAND name label is carefully measured and recorded so that a historically accurate replacement can be applied during the restoration process. Our team assesses what parts must be ordered for the piano and which parts we have to make "in house" for proper restoration.

Piano Restoration Process:

Cabinet Repair & Refinishing

The old deteriorated finish is painstakingly removed to expose the bare wood underneath.  All missing and broken pieces are made and/or repaired, and the case is re-glued to ensure structural integrity.  Our expert finishers carefully reapply the "enhanced finish" by blanking out the entire cabinet with a base coat of yellow stain.  Then, multiple coats of hand-painted faux-graining is applied, each layer having a slightly darker color than the last.  When done with historical accuracy and expert precision, the end result is a stunning exotic rosewood finish!

Piano Restoration Process:

Soundboard Repair & Re-Stringing

The owners requested the original soundboard be restored, not replaced, in order to save the irreplaceable old-growth wood.  The strings and soundboard are carefully removed from the case, and the cracked harp is successfully repaired using the most advanced cast-iron repair methods.  Along with the soundboard, the bridges and pin block are restored.  The harp is re-gilded and new strings are installed, all making the piano's interior look like brand new once again!

Piano Restoration Process:

Action & Keyboard Restoration

Decades of neglect and exposure have caused the interior felts and leather to rot and deteriorate over time.  The original ivory keys are yellow, cracked and dirty and require extensive restoration.  The piano action gets new hammers, shanks and flanges as well as new dampers.  The keyboard cleaned and re-bushed, and the ivory keys are repaired, bleached and polished to look new once again.  The piano is regulated and tuned, finally ready for delivery back to its family!

PHOTOS OF PIANO

AFTER COMPLETE RESTORATION

A historically accurate restoration creates an unbelievable transformation! The rosewood finish now glows with lovely luster and patina and the elaborately detailed copper panels shine like a brilliant new penny. The interior of the piano is like new, and the piano plays and sounds like it did when it was built in 1892!