Craftsman Piano Co. becomes distributor for Northwest Specialty Woods Sound Boards

Joe Hanerfeld, owner of Craftsman Piano, Yonkers, NY, has announced that starting immediately, his company will distribute Northwest Specialty Woods sound boards and use them in his own piano restorations as well. “Because I wanted to make the sitka boards from Northwest Specialty the primary sound board we use, I asked them if we could become a distributor. They said yes. Northwest Specialty has promised to send me at least a dozen sound boards by the end of October. I am in the process of setting up a room in which to cure these boards so they will be ready for immediate use. They will be available locally to piano restorers one at a time or in bulk,” said Hanerfeld.

"After much side by side comparison I feel that the Northwest Specialty sound boards produce the best sound of any that I have tried. Properly cured, they have proved to be durable over the years. Not even one of our boards has ever cracked .Craftsman Piano Co. is looking forward to working with the people at Northwest Specialty Woods, local piano restorers, and my own clients to produce the highest quality restored pianos possible."

A Tale of Two Pianos

On my inventory list I have two pianos that are difficult to classify. They are both Mason and Hamlin BB’s. This means that they are seven ft. grand pianos. This is not what makes them unusual. Most of the time my company works to restore pianos. We take a piano which has deteriorated through time, and restore it to it’s original condition. This does not apply to these two BB’s. These pianos were manufactured by Mason and Hamlin in the 1980’s. However, they were never assembled. They sat neglected in a warehouse for years. Then several years ago two of these manufactured pianos came to my shop to be assembled. The job was not easy. The process of assembling these pianos was far more difficult than restoring a typical Mason BB. However, the results justified all the hard work. These pianos are gorgeous. They are every bit as fine a piano as if Mason and Hamlin assembled them in their factory. But, how should I classify these pianos? They have not been restored, but calling them new implies a connection with the Mason and Hamlin Company that doesn’t exist. How about saying that they were manufactured by Mason and Hamlin, but assembled by Craftsman Piano Co. That is an accurate description, and an excellent combination.

These pianos are located at the warehouse/showroom/workshop of Craftsman Piano Co. 578 Nepperhan Ave., Yonkers, NY.

www.craftsmanpiano.net

jspha440@aol.com


914-476-6704