Music of the Spheres PianoWorks - General Information

Music of the Spheres Pianoworks
"Quality Creates Its Own Market" General Information

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WHY RESTORE YOUR PIANO
There are many reasons to restore a piano. The foremost, of course, is the failure of some major component. In most cases, this is the result of time. Almost all vintage instruments will lose their ability to be tuned after 60-80 years, and certainly the soundboard which supports a heavy load in a fragile condition will give under the pressure. Other components degrade as well. Fine pianos, such as Steinway and Mason & Hamlin (as well as some others), have an intrinsic value that fully supports their restoration. Other pianos depend on a combination of intrinsic value and extrinsic value-sentiment. This latter value is most compelling and to be held in high regard. There are many vintage instruments, both grand and upright, made in the heyday of piano making which are far superior to pianos made today, and in which the materials have cured out and stabilized, making them serious candidates for restoration.

Home Page What is Piano Restoration Why Choose Us?About Pianos The Restoration Process Contact Us

WHY HAVE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES RESTORE YOUR PIANO?
The word piano comes from the Italian piano e forte, meaning soft and loud; as the descendant of the harpsichord, the piano, by contrast, is able to produce a marvelous dynamic range of tones and voice if properly made or restored. Our goal is to re-create the proper conditions for your piano truly to be piano e forte.
Every piano deserves individual attention, and considerable and meticulous attention to the details of that piano. We spend a great deal of time working with all of the parts of the piano. Before your piano is disassembled, we measure all of the minute characteristics of the instrument so that we have a record of its condition, and particularly the positions of the major components. We make note of any subtle inconsistencies in structure which we can improve when restoring.
We constantly search for the finest materials to use in the restoration process, and for the best processes to do so. We are fortunate to be associated with the Piano Technicians Guild and the many technicians with whom we can consult on issues of materials and process. We do not assume, having done something one way for a period of time, that that is the only way. We are always looking for a methodology that will improve the overall quality of the piano, either in touch, tone, or material structure.
We believe that the piano should be a true instrument, an instrument of your joy, and as such there should be no obstacle to it; therefore the piano should be "transparent" in creating that pure instrumentality.
[For further information, we may be able to lend you a copy of "Rebuilding Your Piano", a video made in 1995 by Music of the Spheres Pianoworks and generally available through us, although supplies are now short and the video itself is becoming quite dated.]

Home Page What is Piano Restoration Why Choose Us?About Pianos The Restoration Process Contact Us

ABOUT PIANOS
Your piano is defined by what is called the "scale" of the piano. This is a very complicated set of relationships between the bridges, the piano plate, each string, all of the segments of each string, where the hammer strikes the string, where the damper sits, and string tensions, to name a few. The "scale design" of the piano is what defines it; any alteration in scale design creates another piano. The replacement of major components of the piano--pinblock, soundboard, action, etc., has no impact on the definition of your piano as what it is. If, for example, you have a Steinway, and it is properly restored, it is still a Steinway, just given a new life. Proper restoration is the key.
Your piano consists of 12,000 plus parts. On average, it sits in your home under 32,000 to 38,000 pounds (16-19 tons) of tension in the strings. Its major small components are all organic--wood, felt, paper. Properly maintained, it will continue to respond to your touch as quickly as you play, and stay tune-able, for an incredible number of years. Your piano, overall, is an amazing thing!

Home Page What is Piano Restoration Why Choose Us?About Pianos The Restoration Process Contact Us

WHAT DO WE DO AND HOW DO WE DO IT?
First of all, we restore pianos according to their individual characteristics and needs. We make no alteration in the intrinsic nature of the piano except to improve its overall quality and longevity. With that in mind, we choose parts and materials, and use processes, that aim at that goal. Please see the attached pictures.

Pinblock
We use a Canadian source for pinblock. It is a five-ply hard maple, quarter sawn, and each ply is glued at overlapping angles to the others to create an end-grain bearing on the tuning pin. Maple is preferred for pinblocks because of its superior compressibility, not to be confused with hardness or density, which is a totally different measure. Each pin hole is drilled at 4 to5 degrees, and is done at a heavy-duty milling table/press to ensure stability and consistency. The pinblock is fully fitted back into the piano if this is a structural characteristic of the instrument, such as Mason & Hamlin or Steinway. In these instruments, the pinblock is locked both to the stretcher and to the case ends of the piano for stability and resonant structure.
Strings
We have chosen, at this time, a string maker in Canada who is using, for the bass strings, highest quality German copper; he is also one of few capable of making the relationships of the string segments properly so that appropriate tonal characteristics are achieved.
Soundboards
The soundboard that we install in your piano is made in Canada of highly selected spruce, and is made by the most highly skilled soundboard makers. The ribs are spruce, and are precrowned with the soundboard. We recap the bridges on the soundboard, and hand-notch and repin the bridges according to the pattern we find. (See linked pictures.) We duplicate these patterns meticulously. Each soundboard is carefully fitted to the rim of the piano, and a total join of the rim and soundboard is accomplished. The soundboard is finished with shellac and lacquer. We also go to great expense and effort in the shop to maintain humidity and temperature at 40-45% and 70 degrees all through the year in order to protect both old wood and new, particularly the new soundboard panels which will compression-crack if not maintained and installed properly (along with proper bearing setting with new bridges).
In the unlikely event that the old soundboard is salvageable (i.e. has enough crown and bearing to support the restringing and last through the next many decades), then we will work with it. It is rare. The process of putting shims into cracked soundboards is purely cosmetic, and does not constitute a "repair" in any sense of the word.
Action and Hammers
We fully disassemble the old action and thoroughly polish the action frame and seal it. All new parts are then installed and aligned. We bore the hammers ourselves to the specifications of the manufacturer, improving at times on the number of bore angle changes in those specifications in order to create a smoother arc of tone generation or voice. All action parts are selected from the best manufacturers according to the needs of that particular piano. In Steinway, we use either Steinway or Renner action parts, but always only Steinway hammers. See linked picture.
Keys
The keys are totally cleaned, and all new felts are installed both in the keys and on the key frame. The key frame and the pins on which the keys ride are all cleaned and polished to control friction. When we can, we preserve the original ivory and can at times make small repairs to chipped ivory. We can also refinish the sharps. The keys, keyframe, and action are all then properly regulated to the proper specifications.
Finish
The finish on your piano is critical both cosmetically and from a structural-preservation point of view. Major finish faults such as crackling, "alligatoring", orange-peel, gross finish failure, or damaged wood are inroads for moisture and should be corrected. We subcontract our finishing to a full-time piano finisher located right here in our building. He is capable of all types of finishing and wood repair. We fully coordinate this process.
Meticulous Details (or Some Things We Do.)

A small part of your piano is called the agraffe. It is a piece of brass screwed into the cast iron plate at the front of the speaking length of each of the strings in the mid-range, tenor and bass. We remove each one of them, typically 50-60 in all, clean, polish, ream, and then reset them to the proper position above the plate. See Pictures.We do this to achieve the clearest tonal quality of the piano. These small parts have an audible impact on the clarity of tone in your piano, and we believe that going to this length is only proper. See linked pictures.

The dampers in your piano move on thin wires through small holes in a rail called the damper guide rail. We remove the old compressed felt from these holes and replace each small bushing, sizing them to fit the damper wire properly. We also polish each damper wire by hand to ensure proper friction. We will entirely replace old damper systems when necessary.

When stringing the piano, we use the highest quality German steel traditional tuning pins. Each pin, when the piano is strung and at pitch, faces in the same direction with the same number of coils of wire around it, and each coil is tightly packed together to prevent instability. The pins are at a uniformly graduated height to provide even torque throughout.

The Piano Book;

pianobook.com

Home Page What is

Piano Restoration Why Choose Us?About Pianos The Restoration Process Contact Us

PROCEDURAL MATTERS
When you call us to inquire about the restoration of your piano, we will arrange to visit you and create a full Estimate of Costs. This is a document which specifies the major categories of the restoration process, and which, when signed by us, is a firm cost for a specified period of time. If you decide to have us do the work, then we will create a Contract for you specifying timing and payment schedule. Our Warranty, included in the contract, covers the piano fully for five years, and includes three gratis tunings during the first six months after delivery. We will help to arrange cartage. Our shop and your piano are fully insured; a Certificate of Insurance is available on request.
When your piano is completed, we will want you to visit the shop again for final approval, of course, but more particularly to work with us in creating the final touch and voice. Working with you is the real goal of our work, and the most enjoyable part. We will also provide for you an individualized Aftercare Brochure which contains your warranty and recommendations for the on-going care of your piano.
If you have any questions, please call us. We would enjoy having you visit our shop at any time to see pianos in the process of restoration and to discuss your piano as well.
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Link Here for The Chicago School for Piano Technology

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