1902 Emerson Upright Piano

BEFORE

This Emerson upright piano suffered from an amateur, poor-quality refurbishing job from many years ago. With the finish faded and dirty and the interior mechanisms barely usable, it waits for restoration in our workshop.

AFTER

Professional restoration has brought this beautiful instrument back to life! The mahogany finish has been restored back to a deep, rich patina and the piano plays and sounds like it did when it was built in 1902!

Scroll down to see the piano restoration process!

About this piano: Years ago, this beautiful piano suffered a poor-quality refurbishing job that ultimately did more harm than good. The cabinet was badly refinished, and the interior was fitted with the wrong size felts which caused the piano to play poorly. The beautiful gold script EMERSON name label was even replaced with mailbox block letters from a local hardware store! The deplorable work previously done on the piano made it quite a challenge to restore!

This piano is a family heirloom that was restored in order to be passed down to future generations. The owners of the piano were told by their local piano tuner to buy a new piano, but luckily they were able to appreciate the potential of their heirloom instrument and decided to invest in restoration and preservation rather than buying a generic new piano. Now, their grandmothers piano will live on for another century and will serve several generations of piano players!

Scroll down to see the piano restoration process!

Piano Restoration Process:

Assessment & Disassembly

An poor-quality attempt at restoration many years ago ultimately did more harm than good. The piano is carefully disassembled and each individual part is labeled and recorded. Our crew assesses which parts will have to be ordered, and which parts will have to be made. Note the original gold "EMERSON" name decal was replaced with mailbox block letters from a local hardware store!

Piano Restoration Process:

Cabinet Repair & Refinishing

The old dirty finish is removed and the Honduran Mahogany wood underneath is carefully repaired and sanded. Multiple coats of stain, sealer and lacquer are applied, giving this piano the deep, rich mahogany color it would have had when it was new.

Piano Restoration Process:

Soundboard Repair & Re-Stringing

The rusty, brittle old strings are removed from the piano. The harp is removed and the old-growth wood soundboard is restored and refinished. The bridges are repaired and the piano gets a new pin block. The harp is re-guilded with gold lacquer and the new strings are installed.

Piano Restoration Process:

Action & Keyboard Restoration

A previous poor-quality attempt at restoration installed the wrong size keys and felts and the wrong adhesives were used. The old brittle celluloid keys are restored with high-quality new faux ivory keytops. The old worn felt and leather is replaced, and new hammers are installed. The rest of the piano action is rebuilt so that the instrument performs like new again.

PHOTOS OF PIANO

AFTER COMPLETE RESTORATION

The restoration was done with a historical perspective in mind. Note the beautiful gold script "EMERSON" name has been replaced with incredible accuracy to match the original decal. The beauty of the imported Honduran Mahogany woodgrain shines through once again!

SEE AND HEAR THE FULLY RESTORED PIANO!

Learn more about restoring your heirloom instrument!

Complete the submission field below and one of our experts will contact you with more information.

Contact Information
Your Name*
Address*
Street Address City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Daytime Phone*
Evening Phone
Email*
Enter Email Confirm Email
Preferred Method of Contact*
- Telephone
- Email
Instrument Information
Piano or Organ Brand Name*
Piano or Organ Type*
Serial Number*
Restoration Service Requested*
External Condition*
Please rate the following quality of the instrument from 1 (worst) to 10 (best)
Playability*
Please rate the following quality of the instrument from 1 (worst) to 10 (best)
Detailed photographs are important in helping us determine the condition of your instrument. Close-up shots of the internal workings are especially important. The more detailed the photographs, the more accurate our evaluation will be.
Image Upload*
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, png, pdf.
Comments*
You may also submit your request via regular mail. Simply print the completed submission form and mail it along with your photos to:

Antique Piano Shop, Inc.,
1158 Lane Drive,
Friendsville, TN 37737

The more detailed information we have from you, the better we can answer your inquiry. Note that photos sent to us by mail will not be returned.
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.