Below are some simple guidelines and rating list of common makes 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
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.
We use the term reconditioning here 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"!
I’ve tried to list the tasks in order of importance, though this order will of course vary according to the piano, and I’m not taking into account simple repairs which you may also need. If your budget doesn’t stretch to major work, then a day’s work of adjustments, re-facing and tuning will invariably make an enormous difference to the piano.
Restoration includes the above, but implies much more fundamental work such as major casework repairs, and even soundboard replacement. Replacing the soundboard really alters the underlying tone of the piano and is not recommended except where it has lost “crown” or is severely damaged in some way. We restore all makes of piano, though our main full restoration work is on grand pianos by Bechstein, Bluthner, Bosendorfer and Steinway.
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 or do modern polyester finishes if required.
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.
If there is sufficient felt on the hammer, a vast improvement can often be made by re-facing it. It will then require toning as well. The cost varies form about £200 to £300. Re-facing will reduce the weight of the action, and may also affect balance.
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 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. There are, however, basic adjustments that can be made to vastly improve the touch of any piano, such as taking up the slack between the keys and the rest of the movement, adjusting the hammer blow distance or adjusting the “let off” - the distance the hammer travels to the strings before escaping, etc. However, to make fundamental improvements to the touch, extensive work needs to be undertaken. This is because touch is related to two opposing factors: down-weight and up-weight.
Down-weight is measured as the force needed to press the key so that it starts to move. This is normally about 50 grams - approximately five £1 coins and one 5p piece, measured with the sustain pedal depressed. On pianos that have had extensive use, (or some older pianos designed to have lighter touch) this is often reduced to about 40 grams. This lighter touch may suit an older or occasional player whose finger strength has been reduced. Changing the hammers will normally make the touch heavier. However, this is only half the story!
Up-weight is the resistance you feel throughout the depression of the key. Up-weight has to do with friction and balance in the action. The up-weight should be about 30 grams but varies according to different factors and for different pianos. A good pianist can normally tell instinctively if the action “feels” right. Up-weight can be improved by replacing loose hinge pins, springs and felts.
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.
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.
Most modern upright pianos have a third pedal which when depressed puts a felt between the hammer and strings, allowing the midnight pianist to practice without disturbing anyone! These can be fitted to most older pianos as a lever situated under the keyboard. the cost is around £150 + VAT.
We can usually repair or replace chipped ivories with a good match. In order to avoid a line appearing between the front and the back part of the ivory, it needs clamping. If the ivories are very yellowed, they may benefit from scraping and polishing. Ivory keys (and plastic) need regular buffing on a buffing wheel.
Many musicians find that modern upright pianos don't have a user-friendly music desk. We offer the service of fitting an old-style desk to your piano, with book holders to keep the pages open. We can also fit bookholders to modern desks.
When we are asked to 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.
Here is a very rough guide of common makes available in the UK. Please note that this is the rating of the piano once fully reconditioned. Unreconditioned pianos may have much lower ratings. An example of this is a Kaps upright we recently purchased and restored. I rated the piano at 35 when we bought it and it had a rating of 78 when it was finished! It cost us £150 and we spent the equivalent of £4000 on restoring it.
The ratings are out of 100. Please see www.pianoratings.org for a fuller explanation of how we arrive at these when rating individual pianos.
.
| Adam |
60-70 |
Overstrung. Generally well made pianos. |
| Aeolian |
50-60 |
Varied. They made many player pianos. |
| Allison |
50-60 |
Varied - low to medium quality; some baby grands quite good |
| Amyl |
40-50 |
The CWS brand name. Honestly made but mostly basic straight strung overdampers. |
| Apollo |
50-59 |
Japanese; generally below Yamaha and Kawai quality. |
| Army and Navy |
40-50 |
Usually straight strung overdampers, but quite well made. |
| Atlas |
50-59 |
Japanese; generally below Yamaha and Kawai quality |
| August Foerster |
50-70 |
Old ones well made. Went through "Iron curtain" bad patch. Post 1990s recovered in quality. |
| Baldwin |
55-68 |
Varied. Most of the ones imported to the UK were basic models. |
| Barratt and Robinson |
50-60 |
One of the last London factories. Satisfacory mid range uprights. |
| Bechstein |
60-85 |
Prolific make of top quality uprights and grands mostly made 1890 to 1930. Bechstein upright Models I to V often suffer from central heating and need new pin-blocks. Models 6 to 10 are very well made and have a rich tone. Modern ones good but varied. See grands and uprights pages for more details. |
| Beulhoff |
50-60 |
Grands OK. Very varied, poor to medium quality. |
| Bell |
50-60 |
Generally overstrung. Very varied, poor to medium quality. |
| Bentley |
45-60 |
Very varied, poor to medium quality. |
| Berry |
45-55 |
From very basic overdampers to medium quality overstrungs. Many 6 octave pianos made. |
| Bishop |
30-40 |
Common, mostly very old overdampers, good looking but not worth reconditioning. |
| Bluthner |
70-90 |
Prolific make of high quality pianos. All well made, (except for the "Iron curtain" phase from about 1958 up to about 1995), but often very worn and need extensive reconditioning. Rating is for fully reconditioned pianos. Unreconditioned ones may carry a very low rating. |
| Bord |
45-52 |
Generally Straight strung overdampers. French piano; small, pretty with mellow tone, but usually need repinning |
| Boyd (of London) |
35-55 |
From very basic overdampers to fairly good overstrungs. |
| Bosendorfer |
50-95 |
Austrian pianos of high quality. Older ones often have "Viennese" actions which are not suitable for all-round playing. Concert pianos have extra notes in the bass and are first choice for many musicians. |
| Branston |
50 |
Mostly basic pianos. |
| Brasted |
50-65 |
Honest well made British pianos. |
| Brinsmead |
50-70 |
Very varied prolific English maker. |
| Broadwood White |
45-48 |
Mostly basic straight strungs. |
| Burling Mansfield |
35-40 |
Mostly old and not worth reconditioning |
| Cameo (see Lindner) |
35-45 |
Plastic action. Parts no longer available |
| Challen |
50-68 |
Can be quite reasonable but vary. The UKs most common baby grands |
| Chappell |
50-70 |
Varied but generally good. Old ones can be quite basic. |
| Collard and Collard |
40-68 |
Extremely varied prolific British maker spanning over 200 years. Get advice before buying one. |
| Cramer |
45-68 |
Plenty of variety. Good baby grands and post 1900 uprights. |
| Crane |
35-50 |
Mostly basic uprights. |
| Dalmaine |
35-50 |
Mostly basic uprights and baby grands |
| Dale Forty |
35-50 |
Mostly basic uprights and baby grands |
| Danemann |
44-68 |
Varied. Made many pianos for schools. |
| Duck Son and Pinker |
35-50 |
Mostly basic uprights |
| Dale Forty |
40-50 |
Basic British pianos |
| Erard |
40-68 |
Very varied |
| Eavestaff |
35-68 |
Minipianos generally basic. Baby grands fair. Other uprights meduim to fair. |
| Elysian |
45-60 |
Name used mainly by Morleys of London. Varied |
| Fazioli |
85-95
|
Fazioli was established in 1981. they are of a consistently oustanding quality, with great care given to each piano. As with Steinway, they are a powerful piano and need a room that can cope with the volume. |
| Fazer |
55-68 |
Modern Finnish pianos. Fazer are generally good with rich bass and firm touch. |
| Feurich |
65-75 |
Old and modern ones well made. |
| Forster, August |
55-70 |
Vary varied in quality - passed through "Iron curtain" phase. Best older and very modern ones are excellent. |
| Fuchs and Mohr |
40-55 |
Modern Eastern block pianos |
| (George) Rogers |
55-70 |
Good factory with long history. Older ones may not be worth reconditioning. |
| George Russell |
50-55 |
Mostly basic straight-strung overdamped pianos, well made with a good tone. |
| Giles |
50 |
From the same factory as the very common Zender. |
| Godfrey |
35-48 |
Mostly basic uprights |
| Gors and Kallman |
50-70 |
Older uprights overdampers but good tone. Baby grands generally good. |
| Grotrian Steinweg |
60-90 |
Prolific make of high quality pianos. All well made, but often very worn and need extensive reconditioning. Uprights from 1900 to 1930 outstanding. Rating is for fully reconditioned pianos. Unreconditioned ones may carry a very low rating. |
| Hellas |
50-60 |
Hellas are similar to Fazer but action generally not as good. |
| Hickie and Hickie |
35-48 |
Mostly basic uprights cheaply made. |
| Hoffmann |
50-75 |
This name is confusingly used on both basic British and high quality German pianos! |
| Hopkinson |
45-65 |
Very common British make. Older ones overdampers. |
| Hupfeld |
45-60 |
Older ones good. Modern ones "Iron curtain" pianos and poor quality. |
| Ibach |
50-80 |
Older ones overdampers but good. Grands generally fine quality; modern Ibachs well made. |
| John Broadwood |
40-80 |
Inventive British firm with extreme variation in quality of upright and grand pianos from very old ones that aren't really worth reconditioning to very good grands from about 1893 onwards, mixed with indifferent ones. Modern Broadwoods are made in a variety of countries. |
| Kaps |
55-80 |
Mainly one style of upright piano made from about 1898 to 1930. They often have decorative cases and an excellent warm tone. Grands are generally older and more variable and we don't usually deal in them. |
| Kawai |
55-85 |
Japanese pianos (later ones made elsewhere too) of generally good quality though upright actions can be a bit "choppy" and rely too much on plastic. Best small Kawai grands made 1975 to 1985 and can be of very high quality. |
| Kemble |
55-78 |
British firm still making pianos (2006). Varied in quality but best are very good. Some older ones overdampers. Kemble Minx minipianos well make but have "spinet" actions and therefore the keys are too short to give much control. |
| Kirkman |
30-55 |
Mostly very old British pianos. Many grands. |
| Knight |
58-80 |
Respected British maker. Best between about 1960 and 1980. |
| Knauss |
50-55 |
German maker of medium quality |
| Krauss |
50-55 |
German maker of medium quality |
| Legnica |
45-55 |
Polish maker, common in the UK 1980-1990 |
| Lindner |
35-50 |
Irish pianos with revoutionary plastic action for which no spares are readily available. |
| Lipp |
55-90 |
German pianos made with great integrity. Rich warm tone. Baby and boudoir grands generally excellent. |
| Lambert |
48 |
Basic British overdamper |
| Marshall and Rose |
50-65 |
British pianos of medium quality. |
| Minstelle |
40-50 |
Small pianos made by Barratt and Robinson |
| Monnington and Weston |
50-65 |
Many low quality baby grands made with "simplex" actions. Uprights can be very good. |
| Murdoch |
35-55 |
common basic British pianos. |
| Moore and Moore |
50-58 |
Fair quality British pianos |
| Morley, Robert |
50-55 |
Fair quality British pianos |
| Neumeyer |
50-65 |
mid-range German pianos. Best ones have rich warm tone. |
| Niemeyer |
45-55 |
Low to mid range German pianos. |
| Papps |
35-50 |
Mostly basic uprights. Portsmouth firm with specially designed metal wrest plank for environments with varying humidity |
| Petrov |
50-80 |
Wide range of quality in uprights. Some early baby grands are outstanding. |
| Pleyel |
45-68 |
Much varietly in quality from this French maker |
| Psalmist |
55 |
Made by Bentley |
| Reid Sohn |
45-60 |
Large Korean factory |
| Rippen |
60-65 |
Consistent Dutch maker of modern pianos. Rich bass. |
| Reisbach |
50-65 |
Fair quality British pianos made by Rogers with influence from Grotrian Steinweg. |
| Rogers (George) |
50-70 |
Good quality English pianos. Baby grands worth reconditioning. |
| Ronisch |
45-75 |
Older ones very well made. Modern ones more varied |
| Russell (and Russell) |
45-58 |
Honestly made cheaper uprights mainly from early 1900s. |
| Samick |
45-60 |
Large Korean factory |
| Sauter |
58-78 |
Well made German uprights and grands |
| Scheidmayer |
58-78 |
Well made German uprights and grands |
| Schimmell |
55-68 |
Mid-range German uprights and grands |
| Seiler |
58-78 |
Well made German uprights and grands |
| Spencer |
45-62 |
Common British maker from about 1900 to 1940. Modern ones from different factories. |
| Squire (and Longson) |
50-60 |
Mid range British pianos. |
| Steck |
55-70 |
Uprights have warm tone; baby grands vary in quality. |
| Steinway |
60-95 |
Best known of the top makes. Mostly German Steinways found in the UK. Some older Steinways don't recondition well (especially uprights). Grands excellent from 1877 onwards but may be very worn indeed. Modern Steinways lack the richness of tone of the older ones, but make up for it with a superb action. One of the best concert grands. NB beware of buying a large Steinway if you are putting it into a small room. they are an intrinsically loud piano. |
| Ströhmenger |
50-65 |
Good quality British pianos. |
| Waddington |
45-55 |
Basic British piano, can have a reasonable tone. Grands basic. |
| Waldstein |
45-58 |
Name used by British, German and Chinese pianos at various times. |
| Wallace Ash |
35-48 |
Mostly basic uprights |
| Weber |
46-68 |
Older ones well made. Modern ones made in the Far East. |
| Welmar |
55-75 |
Good quality British pianos. Older uprights varied. Baby grands copy of Bluthner. |
| Witton and Witton |
45-55 |
Basic British piano. Grands not well made. |
| Woodchester |
45-55 |
Uninspiring pianos made by Bentley in the late 90s |
| Yamaha |
48-90 |
Most prolific maker in the world. Huge range in quality. When Yamaha first hit the world stage in the 60s, they made a concerted effort to copy good German pianos, making excellent uprights and grands. As competition gradually increased, so the basic Yamahas were cheaply made to try to keep the market share, some being of very poor quality. On the other hand, the top quality ones improved in quality and at the top end they produced an outstanding concert grand. See our Yamaha page for more details. |
| Young Chang |
45-60 |
Large Korean factory |
| Zender |
48-60 |
Sidney Zender contracted different factories with instructions to make a small piano. There were over 70,000 made in the UK, mostly in the 60s to 80s. |
| Zimmerman |
45-70 |
Pre 1940 ones good, but mostly modern baby grands and uprights of low to medium quality. Lately they have been taken over by Bechstein, who produce a fine piano with the Zimmerman name. |
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