Does your piano need reconditioning and is it worth doing? Below are some simple guidelines to help you decide whether a piano is worth restoring and what work will most improve it. If you've inherited a piano and need to move it, please see our combined removals and inspection service. For detailed advice on restoration, please see the "restoration in detail" page, which contains the same information as this page but with added detail, plus ratings of over 100 makes of piano commonly found in the UK.

Which is best - a modern piano or an older reconditioned one? The short answer is that top makes of older pianos often have a superior tone and appearance to modern ones. The main reasons for this are that from 1880 to 1940 when the piano was the main mechanical item in the home, there were a hundred times more skilled workers in the trade, competition was strong and time was less important. Good hardwood, ivory and other materials were also more readily available.  There have been no significant changes in mechanical design since then, and all parts on older pianos are still readily available. Modern pianos from top makers from 1950 onwards can also be very good. They have the advantage of being usually less worn and therefore need less reconditioning. For good ones see the list of makes at the bottom of this page.

Reconditioning or Restoration? We use the term reconditioning to mean working on the piano as necessary to get the best possible tone and touch. As far as possible, with top makes of pianos, we preserve the original hammers, strings and soundboard, as with modern materials it is very difficult to reproduce the manufacturer’s desired tone and touch. However, this is very often not possible. Hammers, for instance, are very frequently in need of replacement as the old ones, like an old tennis ball, have lost their "bounce"!

Aspects of Reconditioning:

Polishing We have a team of professional polishers and can finish the piano in any style or colour. We try to re-polish the piano exactly as it was originally, though this can be a very lengthy process as “French polishing” requires a very large number of coats.  A more basic finish is also available. Costs vary between £1500 and £3000. We can also change the colour of your piano if you wish and do modern polyester finishes if required.

Hammers Very often the hammers and related felts are too worn or soft, and cannot be made to reproduce the original tone. New hammers are the only solution. We usually fit new ones which are made in Germany, but sometimes recover the existing hammers, again with German or other top quality felt. After installation, the hammers then need accurate aligning to the strings, “travelling”, and once the piano has been fine tuned, toning or voicing. The new hammer makes a world of difference to the tone, bringing out the full harmonic range of the piano. This usually costs between £1000 and £1500. Please note that replacing the hammers on your piano will make the touch heavier, unless you specify that you want lighter hammers fitted.

Toning or Voicing This is the fine skill of giving each hammer the correct tension. This is done by needling the felt, opening it out so that it rebounds off the string at the correct speed. Normally new hammers are too hard and bright and need “deep voicing” to cause them to bounce off the strings at the correct speed. The technician learns from experience what the correct tone should be. Once the felt is at the right tension, then the hammer is fine voiced. On grand pianos, this includes voicing the piano for “una corda" or soft pedal playing, giving it a mellower tone when the soft pedal is depressed. Cost of toning: full toning about £200 - £500.

Touch Touch refers to the smoothness, responsiveness and weight of the action. Top makes of piano can be made to be excellent in all aspects, while it’s often impossible to improve a piano that is cheaply made in the first place.

Loose Tuning Pins With central heating the wood on the piano’s pin block dries out, causing the tuning pins to loosen. In most cases this can be cured permanently by replacing the tuning pins with larger ones, though in some pianos, such as the Bechstein upright models I to V , the pin-block itself may need changing. Changing tuning pins costs about £450, and it’s a good opportunity to re-string at the same time if this is thought to be an improvement. Pinblocks cost over £1100 including fitting, and restringing will also have to be done.

Strings The strings are changed less often as it’s extremely difficult to reproduce the appropriate tone with modern ones. In some cases, such as with Bluthner or Richard Lipp grands, the bass tone can be inferior with new strings. However, if your piano has several broken strings already, then changing them may be the best option. Modern grands can often be improved with new bass strings, sometimes because the original strings weren’t very good anyway! Our replacement German bass strings, for instance, will vastly improve a Yamaha grand piano. This costs between £1500 and £2000, including refinishing the frame and soundboard.

Quotations When we quote for work, we take into account the following points, working within your budget:
1. How well made is the piano?
2. Do you want a full restoration or simply that the piano will perform well enough for a child to take up to, say, grade 8?
3. We will tone the piano according to the kind of room and type of tone you require.
4. What kind of touch do you want? Generally, a lighter touch for older occasional users but a down-weight of at least 50 grams is necessary for beginners as they need to develop their finger muscles and will take exams on a piano having this touch weight.
5 Will the piano hold it's value? There is no question of this if it is one of the top German makes - Bechstein, Bluthner, Bosendorfer, Steinway, etc. German makes such as Lipp, Kaps, some Ibach grands, and some English makes such as Chappell and some Broadwoods will fare well in terms of value too.  Modern pianos such as Yamaha and Kawai are not built with reconditioning in mind, though good German bass strings make a vast tone difference, and changing worn hammers is a possibility.