Hello piano friends,

I would like to ask for help on behalf of a German web friend whom I am often in contact with on the German piano web www.clavio.de. He is a 3rd year music student and lives in the region of Oxford, Great Britain.

He owns a family-bought Steinway A model which is over 100 yrs old. The instrument was once purchased as „fully restored“ some 15 yrs ago but the selling „restauration expert“ seems to have been anything but a real expert..

This instrument is worn out. It sounds dull and sharp. No comparison with the „real deal“..The hammers are hard, the crown seems to be fallen in (but the ribs are OK, still glued on). It is not quite sure whether the downbearing is ok. (I haven’t seen the instrument yet). The playing mechanism is worn out also: several keys float sideways as well as back and forwards. All facts gained from the owner.

To make a long story short: if possible he would like to keep this family Steinway as he has worked with the instrument all the years of his young to-become-a-pianist career. It seems necessary to have a „second opinion“ of the state and quality of his instrument. I am trying to find a good piano maker handcraft expert in his very region who would be properly able to check the facts and analyse what needs to be done, give a proposal how to do this and then eventually perform a good restauration job.

Maybe that this post would be better in the tech forum? Pls. move in this case, dear admins.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Bernd A. B

Your friend should contact some technicians in the area and have them look at the piano, evaluate it, and make recommendations.

The techinician who evaluates the piano should have no affiliation with the people who did the "restoration."

Bedhampton pianos are an hour and a half drive away if you cannot find someone closer. They do restoration work.

It is pointless saying "contact some technicians in the area". This is not viable in the UK. Plenty of tuners: very few genuinely capable technicians who really know Steinways inside out (as opposed to pretending to).

For a top class independent technician ( ex senior Steinway tech) in the UK I would without doubt go to this man: http://anthonycookepianos.com/

Anthony is a very nice man and will tell you things straight. He travels quite happily.

The Steinway rebuild guy really is Jeffrey Shackell: http://www.shackellpianos.co.uk/ when it comes to proper Steinway restoration in the UK. He gets through a fair volume and specialises in S&S. Never bought from him personally though.

Adrian

Funny.....where I am, GB means Great Barrington.
And where I used to live, it meant Green Bay.

Thank you folks so very much. My web friend has read your proposals and will be able to proceed along of some proposals.

Thank you!