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Compared to your shop my tools are very crude. You must be an accomplished machinist, or have one on staff to provide yourself with such precision instruments. I make my jigs and fixtures with pieces of pine, dowels, and what every I can CA glue together quickly. Oh well…..it gets the job done. My weak area is refinishing. Since there is no good finishers in my area that I can expect to get the quality ‘piano finish’…..hand rubbed satin patina….I have had to learn to do it myself. It’s a long and tricky job but I am getting better. Again….finding an expert to learn from is just about impossible…..sadly.

I’ve been restoring, refinishing, and all the associated aspects of piano maintenance for over 30 years now…..most of my restorations are with Steinways, and a few Baldwins. My latest projects was a 1915 Steinway A3. The soundboard was busted up quite a bit, but I was able to pull it back to the ribs and shim it up. I put new Renner hammers and action parts in it, and I must say……this is probably my favorite scale. Warm….powerful….but whispers when you want ppp sounds. I am enjoying your video VERY much. I wish, however, I had started my career with an expert teacher. As it was…..I had to learn 90% of my work by just doing it. I could have saved myself from a host of mistakes had I learned from the expertise that you have.

Very interesting! ❤❤❤

Amazing tools! Great job

You're not alone. This guy is a mechanical engineer by profession and designs his own set of tools for faithful restorations. He just did a marvelous job on my 1887 Steinway D and next on the list is an 1861 Bechstein concert grand (267cm). ruclips.net/video/4GCZ4RXE-Ew/видео.html

I'm very thankful that there are people in the world such as yourself. You saved a thing of great beauty and your reasons can't be measured by the cost. The piano has a wonderful rich voice and you have preserved it for the next generation to appreciate. I will remember you.

I’ve been in the piano restoration business for many years. The majority of the instruments that I take on as a project are Steinway…..mostly from 1900 to 1940. I think this could be called the golden era for Steinway production based on what I have seen since then. You are right when you say that we don’t restore them to their original condition, but we do try to maximize the tone and touch so that the instrument will always be there for the performer. It is a challenge but usually I am not disappointed.😊

I’ve been in the piano service biz for 45 years…..I tune and voice a LOT of instruments of which I almost always try to do something with the voicing with every tuning I do. When I am replacing hammers on a Steinway it is always a challenge to find the perfect voice. I’ve used every brand of hammer from Renner, Abel, and Steinway factory hammers. Each one has its own texture, and I’m always trying to push the tone to fit the most balanced sound for the instrument. I don’t suppose you’d care to opine on the perfect hammer choice would you?

Excellent video, I’m currently working on a similar Bluthner and this is most helpful.🙂🍃

Can't believe the sostenuto still exists...

If you reconsidered disallowing external links in comments, I would then be able to point you to three highly interesting webpages that give you further information on the origin of the piano and the changes that were introduced by Theodore Steinway in 1884. I have images and a video of an 1882 Steinway similar to yours and I have links to an article by Theodore Steinway himself (in German) where he goes into detail into the design and scaling of the Steinway grands around 1885. Feel free to visit my youtube channel and browse the videos. There you can find at least four different Steinways from the 1880s, one of which is exactly the same as yours in build i.e. different scaling and no treble bell.

@PIANOSXXI This particular model does not have the same scaling as a real B manufactured after 1884/5. It's easy to see that the grouping of the front duplex scales in your piano is 3-4-5-5 and 5-6-6 in the two capo fields. My 1886 B, however, has 6-5-3-3 and 4-4-3-3-3 respectively. You can read all about it in the Kehl/Kirkland reference book. Next thing: Look under the piano and you will not find a treble bell. Easy to spot on the plate, because it lacks the distinct screw nut below the first plate web cooling hole. Search for 1882 Steinway in the forum of pianoworld and you will see a similar instrument. This is where you can find a similar model from 1882 that I found in Austria. Absolutely untouched, in pristine condition. There are more HiRes images in this posting in a German piano forum: but you need to register to actually view them. There also good images of the original action, which saw no changes between this previous model and the post 1885 one. This piano also still has the original ivory key tops. If you want more details then here is a two part article in German with Theodore Steinway as author. This article is dated 1885 and shows that around this time he decided to re-design the scaling, as can be seen in the different duplex scales between your and my piano: And really, get out that measuring tape and you'll see that your piano is in fact 208cm (6'8''). Since you repainted the plate, the original serial number is gone, but you should be able to find it on the front side of the action keyframe. If that's missing, too, you can take a look at the left side of the plate by the bass bridge. It has a triangle that touches the rim and has the manufacturing date of the plate cast into the plate. HTH.

You can't bring it back to original condition? Really? Be amazed: 1887 Steinway D, no new parts, original action, hammers, soundboard, bridge (it only has one), pin block, shellac finish. Yes, new pins and strings. That's it. ruclips.net/video/6J4K-t9vCD8/видео.html

1883? Then it's not a real Steinway B. Take out your metric measuring tape and you'll see that this piano is 208cm instead of 211cm. Theodore Steinway redesigned the scaling of the the so called parlor grands in 1884 and it made a drastic difference in the overall sound of the piano. Any Steinway grand after 1884 basically is the same as a modern one - with the notable exception of the D between 1884 and 1892. Anything before 1884 is not what we consider a modern Steinway. The notable exception of the D is that it went through an experimental phase until it reached its final design as we still see it today. Before 1892 it had three capo bar sections and bridge pins set ant an angle, which gave it a unique sound that 'regular' Ds after 1892 don't have anymore. You really should read up more on the history of Steinways before calling an 1883 Steinway a model B. Does it have a 'B' as part of the delta in the iron cast frame? No, it doesn't and it's serial number is probable somewhere in the 40k region - not that one would actually know, because of re-painting the frame. Please don't call it a restoration. It's got plastic key covers and nickel alloy pins. And I seriously doubt you restored the action. It's probably got all new Renner hammer, back checks and wippens, without regard to the original action geometry and hammer weight. And please don't call it a 'B'. It's not. This particular model does not have the same scaling as a real B manufactured after 1884/5. It's easy to see that the grouping of the front duplex scales in your piano is 3-4-5-5 and 5-6-6 in the two capo fields. My 1886 B, however, has 6-5-3-3 and 4-4-3-3-3 respectively. You can read all about it in the Kehl/Kirkland reference book. Next thing: Look under the piano and you will not find a treble bell. Easy to spot on the plate, because it lacks the distinct screw nut below the first plate web cooling hole. forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2866508/1882-steinway-b-in-mint-condition-rare.html This is where you can find a similar model from 1882 that I found in Austria. Absolutely untouched, in pristine condition. There are more HiRes images in this posting in a German piano forum: www.clavio.de/threads/verkauf-steinway-b-fluegel-von-1882-in-originalzustand.26260/ but you need to register to actually view them. There also good images of the original action, which saw no changes between this previous model and the post 1885 one. This piano also still has the original ivory key tops. If you want more details then here is a two part article in German with Theodore Steinway as author. This article is dated 1885 and shows that around this time he decided to re-design the scaling, as can be seen in the different duplex scales between your and my piano: daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/bsb00004232/image_268 daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/bsb00004232/image_321 And really, get out that measuring tape and you'll see that your piano is in fact 208cm (6'8''). Since you repainted the plate, the original serial number is gone, but you should be able to find it on the front side of the action keyframe. If that's missing, too, you can take a look at the left side of the plate by the bass bridge. It has a triangle that touches the rim and has the manufacturing date of the plate cast into the plate. HTH.

Not even two minutes into the video I started shaking my head. You know, there ARE people who actually understand what's going inside a hammerhead. They are called concert technicians and the really good ones play a piano for 5 minutes in all it has to offer and they manage to create a 3D image of the tension distribution in the hammer and they know how to needle where, how often, how deep in order to achieve the sound they want to achieve. And now that I am almost done watching this video, I really wonder what it is about. It's pretty much 10 minutes of rambling about hard and soft hammers - and complete carelessness about putting the action back in, strike point of the hammer and constantly telling the audience that this is the only piano, the only Steinway B ever. All of it recorded with a wireless Lavalier mono microphone. Really, what's the point? ruclips.net/video/lLC_k8Qh3yg/видео.html This is what a well tuned, regulated and voiced Steinway B sounds like, when it's prepared by a real concert technician. And recorded with a decent pair of microphones. BTW, this one is an 85 key Steinway B, so it dates back to 1886.

Thank you for this video. Its very helpfull demonstration. I would love to learn more about the process of fixing key weight. Im piano trained technician from central/eastern europe, studied at Petrof Factory, but there is so much more to learn about our job. Ive been doing my job for over 10 years, but i always feel like i dont know and understand enough!

Very nice channel. Just now subscribed. Thank you🎉

Beautiful playing, beautiful piano! Thank you so much!

Great talk! Totally agree! (The front panel is a matter of personal taste however)

Someone spoke the truth, but Steinway won't listen, its no longer a piano maker, its a money hungry luxury brand

When I was studying piano at a conservatory in the ‘80s there was a brandnew model A that was supposed to be the ‘good’ one and an old model B (french polished) next to it. I prefered the model B but it needed servicing. The hammers were somewhat dull maybe and the action could do with some lubrication. One could make oneselve impopular by mentioning these things, at that school.

What a great video discussing the most amazing acoustic instrument of all time. I love a good Steinway B. Cheers!

Really a beautiful Steinway, how old is it? I would always prefer an old well restored piano. The modern Steinways and their derivatives are children of a change of taste. The classical music became closer to pop music, louder, brighter, screaming. For me as a classical singer I lover the old pre war pianos, Bechstein, Blüthner, Ibach... An extremely bright and strong piano brings a singer to a limit, he starts to fight against the sound and changes his own tone. Of a dull sound is also not very attractive, the ideal for a singer is the chiara-ecsuro

If tuned it would sound wonderful.

3:32 _".....especially the soundboard...."_ This. It is like the body of a violin and the striking mechanism is analogous to the violin bow. I had the hammers re-felted on my 1914 Steinway Vertegrand, (Will Steinway even do such a thing? I doubt it.) so I guess that makes it a Steinwas even though the only part that was changed was the hammer felt. The sound is phenomenal. I can attest to the what Mr. Korolev says about the reactivity of the soundboard.

Great video. Thank you!

thanks for explanation!

As much as I can appreciate that a poorly restored piano can be detrimental to a company's image and they would want to distance themselves from it, if we're honest Steinway coined (and are trying to popularise) the Steinwas monicker mostly because they are preoccupied with their bottom line. This is understandable. They area business, not a charity, and they need to sell new pianos to stay afloat. However, they aren't willing to restore old pianos at a reasonable price and are actively obstructing others from doing so by being uncooperative. All this is within their rights, but it's important to be clear as to what's going on. Personally I would never, ever buy a new grand piano. Even in the best brands the wood in a new instrument simply isn't at the stage where it resonates anywhere near as well as the aged wood of a 50+ year old instrument. Finding a good sample of a quality older piano (ideally without cracks in the soundboard!) and having it expertly restored is the best way to ensure you get an instrument that will not only last for generations, but it will also sound amazing from the word go rather than you having to wait for the next (minimum) 30 years for it's sound to mature and start producing those rich, beautiful overtones that make the piano sing and sound alive.

Great! Thanks a lot!

Very interesting...thank you...food for thought.

I own a Hamburg model R from 1909. I got to understand that Steinway factory people think it’s old crap. In the U.S. Steinway made a bonfire with old table piano’s (I played one once and it’s really beautyful).

Гена, привет! Отличое видео, даже мне, человеку далекому от этой темы, понравмлась твоя мягкость и убедительность. Решил изучать английский язык по твоим аидео. Удачи!

Steinway is making harder and harder for independent restorers to restore their pianos.

Wow what a beautiful piano that is one old piano it is 126 years old thanks for the video man I appreciate it.

Tebrik ediyorum 👏👏👏

Leuk gespeeld hoor maar jammer dat de piano van te voren niet gestemd is.

Perfect

That pin block must be harder than that lump hammer? How the block is not dented/marked is surprising?

Wonderful. Thank you!

Are you not worried about stripping the threads with the impact gun😮 its wood

they also sell small extractors with screw for that on popular websites (about 20 bucks), much easier to use than that 🙂

Salut my friend super Piano super video subscribe subscribe ...

Nice

@leoduroy1968

Maybe we could work together… I’m really interested

Absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for these wonderful videos. Keep up the amazing work. Regards from Toronto.

It's amazing

Great ideas

Great tool

Thanks a lot. It's very inspiring.