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 made key sets are included in many of the rebuilds. 

The Belly: This includes pinblock, soundboard, plate, strings, and dampers. Quartersawn lumber core pinblocks made of rock maple are installed. If the piano was in need of a new soundboard, premium Sitka spruce panels are used. Click here to read more about the Sitka Spruce Soundboard. 

The bridge is re-notched and pinned, or a new bridge cap is installed. 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: The fully rebuilt Steinway undergoes a full pinblock replacement, action replacement, soundboard replacement, extensive piano repair, and total cabinet refinishing and piano restringing. Each of the full rebuilds in our Gallery has undergone this rigorous restoration process using genuine Steinway factory parts. They have each been evaluated and prepared by our skilled technicians to ensure that Steinway piano superiority is maintained in every one of our Steinways.