Action Reconditioning & Restoration
(770) 570-0356
contact@PrimePianoServices.com
Should I buy a new piano or make the one I have keep going?
Consider action reconditioning!
Have you replaced tires, batteries and brakes on your vehicle?
Did the roof on your home become stressed and worn that it requried a roofer's attention?
Manmade objects have serviceable life cycles. The roof system on one's home may endure 25 to 100 years depending upon the type of product installed by a roofing contractor. In comparison, the consumable objects associated with a car or truck will last depending upon how the vehicle is used. The same considerations apply to pianos. For example, a $55,000.00 grand piano purchased for usage in a university practice room will rapidly degrade due to the high volume of traffic it endures. In fact, that same piano may be re-valued within 5 years to the average cost of a new upright piano. Whether a car, roof, or piano, manmade objects eventually need attention in order to serve our needs.
Action Reconditioning & Restoration - Whether for the discerning artist, or for someone who cherishes their childhood piano, Russell offers action reconditioning and action restoration. The action of the piano comprises the levers, gears and hammers that enable a keyboardist to produce sound. Over time the components either need to be restored or replaced.
Your piano's hammers are the "crown jewels" of your piano's action. Hammers are typically reshaped several times over their working life span. Eventually, they will reach a point where they will no longer have enough material on them that will allow for a beautiful tone. When our cars need new tires, we say: "Baby needs new shoes." With pianos we could coin the phrase: "Baby needs new grooves."
Russell is excited by many of the innovations taking place in the industry today. Artist-genius-engineers are taking this beloved instrument to new levels. For example, an engineer with Mason & Hamlin - Bruce Clarke - and their team of professionals have pioneered components for grand pianos out of carbon fiber plastics. They are really awesome. In the hammer world, we are seeing a return to "older" manufacturing processes in Wurzen-Weikert felts. Those efforts are making the "Ringing-Singing Tone" a possibility again.
So, if you are considering keeping a piano in the family as an heirloom, or if you want to give a piano new life and muscle, consider restoring your action first. It may be the case that the piano needs a major rebuild - sound board, bridge capping, agraffes, pin block and restringing. However, if your car needs new tires, then replacing the motor and transmission are not the right places to start.
The best way to evaluate the condition of your instrument is to schedule a tuning. After the tuning, discuss your thoughts and options with Russell. Decide what your priorities and budget are. Have an idea in mind where you want to land with the project. And then make your final choices from an informed position.
(770) 570-0356
contact@PrimePianoServices.com