“Beautiful Bluthner”
In 1876, this 6’6” piano left the Bluthner factory in Austria as a stunning rosewood instrument. As fashions changed and the piano changed hands, it underwent several transformations. Initially a rosewood masterpiece, it was painted black and later covered in white oil paint by the last owner. Over its lifetime, the piano experienced several cost-conscious refurbishments. Recognizing the piano’s historical and musical value, the current owner decided to spare no expense to restore it to its former glory.
Upon removing layers of white and black paint, I discovered the beautiful underlying rosewood, but also understood why it was painted: the veneer was missing, chipped, and cracked. While patching and painting would have been cheaper, the owner desired a full restoration. The only solution was to re-veneer the case with new rosewood.
Upon removing layers of white and black paint, I discovered the beautiful underlying rosewood, but also understood why it was painted: the veneer was missing, chipped, and cracked. While patching and painting would have been cheaper, the owner desired a full restoration. The only solution was to re-veneer the case with new rosewood.
Restoration Process
The initial step involved repairing, patching, and leveling all damage to ensure a structurally sound foundation for the new veneer, restoring the case to its original integrity. The veneer was carefully applied, ensuring the grain followed the step along the lower rim and folded over the upper edge.
Unlike modern pianos, where plates are lowered after assembling the frame, soundboard, and rim, Bluthners in 1876 were built differently. The frame and soundboard were constructed first, the plate was attached next, and then the rim was built around it. This made removing the plate extremely difficult. Past refurbishments had masked off and painted over the plate, but I committed to removing it over two challenging days to properly repair the soundboard and strip and refinish the plate. Given the rough 1876 iron castings, the owner requested the plate be filled, leveled, and painted with the correct color.
Precision and Detail
After nearly 140 years, the bass bridge had tipped forward due to the pressure of the strings, compromising the tone. I removed the bridge, re-profiled it for proper bearing, and restored the soundboard and bridge. With the soundboard and bridge repaired and refinished and the plate patched, leveled, and refinished, the piano was well on its way to completion. The trademark blue felt under the strings accentuates the unique gold color of the plate, and new strings with nickel-plated tuning pins add interior sparkle and prevent future corrosion.
Final Touches
To match its performance, a two-tone, high-polish finish was chosen. The inside of the rim, end blocks, and fallboard were finished in high-polish black, with the Bluthner name inlaid in brass. A new scrolled music rack replaced the plain one. All brass components were polished to a pristine shine. After this meticulous restoration, this Bluthner piano is truly restored to its original glory.
“2 Classic Steinways”
These 2 Steinway model A pianos were brought to California from Tennessee. Both were built in 1898, and had a hard life of over 100 years of extreme climate gyrations. They required complete restoration, including restringing, new actions using all Steinway factory parts, as well as complete cabinet restoration, repairing splits and cracks in the wood. Both pianos were originally black with standard leg design. The owner was a dealer who wanted 2 unique pianos to stand out from the crowd. We sourced 2 sets of classic Steinway "Fireplug" Legs and scrolled music rack for one of the pianos.
One piano was finished in high polish black with Carpathian elm accent veneer which was dyed red for a dramatic contrast. The other was re-veneered completely in Bubinga Pommele which is an exotic hardwood from Africa which can be special ordered even on new Steinway pianos. Naturally, both of these pianos brought premium prices when they were sold.