Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments. Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
I was given an old Behning upright that's been sitting in a friends basement for the last 100 years. I'm not asking if it's worth refinishing- from a monetary standpoint I seriously doubt it. But I do love to take things apart, tinker with it, and see if I can fix it. That's my motivation, the experience.
The cabinet is still in good shape, but since I'm a woodworker that's not a problem. The felt on the other hand is rock hard and encrusted with mildew. My main question is where can I get replacement felt? I'm not concerned with matching quality/fit, I'm willing to get down and dirty with my exacto and elmers. All the other parts probably need fiddling, but part of the fun is coming up with solutions to problems as I go along.
I'm not too concerned if it ever stays in tune- besides I love that old west cantina sound it makes (I'll have to learn some ol' oregon trail type songs to take advantage of it). However, I'd like to get rid of all the mildew, don't want it being thrown in the air every time I play.
I'd appreciate any leads to where I can get materials, helpful websites, books, etc.
I know you really enjoy tinkering, you need to understand what you are getting into and what you will end up with.
Just doing the MINIMUM job to make this instrument somewhat playable will take you about 150 hours and about $400-$1,500 in parts.
What you will end up with is a pretty looking piano-shaped object that still won't play well enough to be suitable for even a beginning student.
I've been restoring pianos since I was 7 years old. Take my advice - It's a bad trade. Pass on this one. Buy an unrestored jukebox or slot machine and restore that! That's what I do as a hobby! At least when I'm done, I have something worthwhile.
PS. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
:rolleyes:
Piano Industry Consultant
Co-author (with Larry Fine) of Practical Piano Valuation www.jasonsmc@msn.com
Contributing Editor & Consultant - Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer
Retired owned of Jasons Music Center Maryland/DC/No. VA Family Owned and Operated Since 1937.
I don't want Steve to be the only bearer of bad news, so I will help carry the weight. If rebuilding old uprights was worth doing, rebuilders like me would be scrounging around for all the "free" deals, rebuilding them, and selling them for profit. I used to be able to refurbish an old upright for a few hundred dollars, and It would play ok. Not any more. Most need complete rebuilding due to their age. And rebuilding costs more than the piano is worth.
Piano parts are sold from the supply houses to technicians only. They don't sell to the general public. Call in a piano tech to see what parts you need, and he can order them for you.
You can also order most any parts you need from our online store (pianosupplies.com). But, I would have to agree with the others.
If the instrument was in relatively good condition to start with and you just wanted to tinker, that would be one thing. But I wouldn't advise putting the time and money into restoring it.
You might want to see if your library carries a book called "Piano Servicing Tuning & Rebuilding" by Reblitz. Read the book through and you will get some idea of what is involved. It won't make you a piano rebuilder, but it will give you an appreciation of what it takes.
My Keyboards: Estonia L-190, Roland RD88, Yamaha P-80, Bilhorn Telescope Organ c 1880, Antique Pump Organ, 1850 concertina, 3 other digital pianos ------------------------- My original piece on BandCamp: https://frankbaxtermrpianoworld.bandcamp.com/releases
Me banging out some tunes in the Estonia piano booth at the NAMM show...
I am the guy on this board who really likes old upright pianos like yours. Wonderful things, these old uprights. However, everything that everyone else told you is absolutely true. Monetarily speaking, your project is not worth the time and effort it will take.
Hobby-wise is a different story. If you just love to tinker with things made of (mostly) wood, then an old upright piano is just the thing. Lots of parts, lots of wood. If the piano is free, I see no reason not to go for it. If you tire of the project or if you foul it up, you will have lost little. The piano was heading for the dump anyway. Why not learn on it and enjoy yourself in the process?
Arthur Reblitz' book is very good (I have it) and there are any number of piano techs out there who can help you with it for a fee. It has been my experience that their fee is quite reasonable when compared with the amount of training it takes to get good at what they do.
Just to publicly post my true colors, I'll tell everyone that earlier today I sent Tabo a lengthy email that was practically a carbon copy of Steve Miller's post.
Hi again. Thanks to everyone who replied. I will check out the books and links you posted.
I'm not taking this job on blindly. I may not know anything about a piano, but I'm a woodworker, tinker, hobbiest. I've repaired car engines, bodywork as well (hours and hours, it just never ends). I build my own computers (3 hours each complete software installation). I'm a primitive bowyer and fletcher, carving bows and arrows from logs with a draw knife (couple of weeks per bow, two hours per arrow including fletching and painting, one hour hand-twising a bowstring). I've hand sewn a japanese kimono (25 hours). I've made medieval chain-maille armor starting with steel wire and ending up with a 20,000 link shirt that weighs 40lbs (100 hours). I'm currently sewing heavy duty custom backpacks of my own design for myself and my son (estimated 3 hours each). I'd make more furninture but well there's only room for so much.
Most of the above can be listed as "waste of time and money" by someone. In fact, I've said myself that a few were wastes of time. But I still do them, because my time needs to be wasted somewhere.
By looking at the piano, I am sure it is worth saving. Of course, there is a line that I would hesitate at putting in time that could be spent learning yet another new hobby (maybe jukeboxes, I'll have to look into that). But this piano is comfortably above that line. I know it's not monetarily worth it, but well none of my hobbies have been about money, although a few like my bows or armor could easily be a business. I do it because I enjoy doing things with my hands.
Anyway, 150 hours and $1500... I'm only paying $10 an hour for what I enjoy doing. About the same as going to a movie (with popcorn and soda), box seats at a ball game (excluding beer and hot dogs), cheap seats off-Broadway. And yet after it all I will have a nice piano, if nothing else to set pictures and a nice vase atop.
Again, thanks for all the comments, good and bad. I know that those who were discouraging me were doing so in good faith, I appreciate the candor.
Just so you enter into the thing with both eyes open: I can tell you that Steve Cohen has forgotten more about pianos than I'll ever know, but I disagree with him on his time estimate. I've got about that much time in mine right now, and I'm not even close to being done. Granted, everyone looks at a project differently, and takes different paths to do a job. But I still think it will take you, as someone not knowing anything about pianos and just "digging in" as an amateur, a lot more time than that.
I think Steve quaified his number as a minimum - and I think his minimum estimate also was made from the vantage point of the work being done by an experienced technician. An amateur will take far more time, factoring in all the mistakes, false starts, and "learning curve" time.
I'm still not telling you *not* to do it; just don't think you'll get it all done in that amount of time. Be realistic with yourself. Good luck, again.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tenebrious: [QB]I'm a primitive bowyer and fletcher, carving bows and arrows from logs with a draw knife (couple of weeks per bow, two hours per arrow including fletching and painting, one hour hand-twising a bowstring).
