1905 Steinway upright- (Restored 2009)  Unfortunately, we usually discourage our clients investing a lot in these beautiful old instruments because the wood action parts (hammer shanks, butts and whippens) are usually brittle from age and are prone to breakage.  They cannot be properly regulated. The well made japanese parts made to fit the old Steinway actions do not yield satisfactory results with downweight and touch (probably due to dimensional differences of the parts over the years). Steinway does not supply parts for these old style actions.

However, there are wonderful exceptions to this rule. We recently had the pleasure of restoring this incredibly well preserved 1905  Model K.  -  The piano looked like it had been transported in time from the early part of the last century! The whole structure was in pristine condition with no degradation of the wood action parts. The tuning pin torque was excellent, the leather supple, bass strings and soundboard lively and the ivory keytops white as snow. Our client , an accomplished pianist, wanted nothing spared in restoring this gem to showroom condition.

Normally, a ground up restoration of a Steinway upright would include restringing. Yet, there really was not a compelling reason to do so. The piano's pitch and tuning was quite stable with no evidence of string fatigue or breakage.  After much discussion with my client and considerable thought our plan included the following:

-Complete action disassembly
-Refelting of all action parts
-Rebush keys front and center
-Regulate friction in all action centers
-Refelt keyframe
-Polish keypins and capstans
-Install new Abel Natural felt hammers
-Install new dampers
-Comprehensive action regulation and voicing
-Pedals and trapwork reconditioned and regulated
-Refinishing in formal hand rubbed lacquer
-Nickel plating of all cabinet hardware (pedals hinges etc)
-New period correct fallboard decal

click thumbnail for larger image
In the above images, you can see the results. A visually stunning instrument that plays and sounds very close to the day it came out of the showroom. Another example of the commitment to personal attention to our clients that is driven by quality.
        Frederic Hickman
Registered Piano Technician
   Piano Technicians Guild
           PO. Box 988
      Edgewater MD 21037
          410-266-6811
          800-773-0268

FREDERIC  HICKMAN RPT                                  800-773-0268   
ANNAPOLIS,  MARYLAND