The Restored Steinway

The instrument is first evaluated before being disassembled with 3 directions of restoration. These are the ABC’s of the piano: Action, Belly, and Case.

The Action: The keyboard and keys are refurbished, including new felt, bushings, and keytops. Premium parts are always used for all action replacement projects. The rebuilt Steinways in our showroom have genuine Steinway action parts. New custom fitted key sets are included in many of the restorations. 

The Belly: This includes pinblock, soundboard, plate, strings, and dampers. All materials including soundboard and pinblock are supplied by Steinway, NY.

The bridges are capped, notched and pinned. The plate is repaired, painted, and lettered. The strings used are the best wire and tuning pins available. Dampers are refurbished and new felts installed. When the action and belly work are completed the piano is placed under an action “pounder”, where the piano is played vigorously for up to 10 hours. This settles the action and stretches the strings, speeding the stabilization of the piano.

The Case: The old finish is removed and repairs made to the exposed wood. Primers, stains, and top coats are applied and following sufficient cure time, the piano is sanded and polished to its final sheen. All hardware is plated, polished, or replaced.  In addition to lacquer finishes in black or clear (for wood tones), some rebuilds come with a high gloss polyester.

The Full Rebuild:  A fully rebuilt Steinways will include all of the above work descriptions. Partial rebuilds are available. Each of our rebuilds in the Gallery have undergone a detailed checklist to meet the rigorous standards Steinway, NY expects.