Mason and Hamlin Queen Anne Baby Grand

This is a full warm sounding baby grand piano. The mahogany moldings in the Renner Purple Hammers are what makes the difference in a small piano. The action is responsive. The sound is beautiful. The Queen Anne case has been hand rubbed to a polished luster. The effect is quite pleasing.

You can see more images and get more information at our website.

New Upright Pianos and Consoles for Sale

We have just listed two new pianos for sale that might be of interetst to those in the market for an upright or console.

Steinway Ebony Upright Piano

Steinway Louis XV Console Piano

Definition of a Vintage Piano

By Joseph Hanerfeld of Craftsman Piano

A vintage piano is not simply an old piano. A vintage piano must have a real value. A Wurlitzer piano made in the early 1900’s is simply an old piano, while a Steinway piano of the same era would be considered vintage. What is the difference? The answer is simply quality and value. The vintage piano is valuable primarily because it’s potential for beautiful sound and appearance, and secondarily because of the name Steinway. The value of the vintage piano is enhanced by the retention of the original case parts and ivory keys. This is especially true if the piano has a unique case. Examples of this would be a Louis XV case, or a Centennial D with serpentine legs, original ivories, and a cut out music rack. However, a straight legged Steinway from the 1940’s would also be considered a vintage piano, albeit of lesser value, solely for the potential beauty of the sound and simple elegance of the case.

Vintage pianos: Potential value versus realization of potential.

To illustrate this topic I will use the example of a Steinway rosewood A with flower pot legs, cut out music rack, and original ivory keys. This is a vintage piano in un-playable condition.



This piano has a lot of potential value because the rosewood veneer is salvageable; the piano has all its original parts, and has potential for being a marvelous musical instrument. To fully realize this potential, the piano must be fully restored to its original condition.

In the example (below) of this Steinway A the original sound board, pin block and action are un-usable and must be replaced. If this is not done the full potential value of this vintage piano could never be realized because the piano would never play correctly. At the same time, the case of the piano would need to be restored with the original parts to realize the full potential value of the piano.




The Soul of a Vintage Piano
There is a difference between a properly restored vintage Steinway and a factory produced piano of any brand. Again I will illustrate this with an example. Picture a Yamaha C7 (7 ft. 5 in.) and a restored vintage Steinway B (6 ft. 11 in.) sitting side by side in a room with good acoustics. You sit down to play the C 7, and it is a marvelous piano. You move over to the Steinway B to compare the sound and touch. As you play you realize that there is a subtle difference in the sound. The Steinway has a warmer, more resonant and responsive sound and touch. You realize that the sound of this piano is truly unique. It cannot be duplicated exactly no matter how hard you might try. Here are the reasons. The Yamaha has been built in a factory. Each part of the assembly of the piano has been mechanized as much as possible. The screws are all tightened exactly the same. The tolerances of the bridge notches and pins are exact. The result is a wonderful mass produced piano. In comparison the restored vintage Steinway is stripped down by hand, refinished by hand, the raw finish is rubbed by hand in a process that takes weeks. The best color for the finish is chosen specifically for that piano. Next, the sound board, pin block and bridge caps are replaced. The sound board is crowned on a belly table made by the belly man. Each table has different characteristics. Each belly man works in his own way, and all of his pianos have qualities recognizable as his work. Next, the action is stripped, cleaned, re felted, reassembled, regulated, and voiced in a process that takes weeks. The best action parts are considered specifically for the character of the sound that is desired for that piano. Once the piano is strung and tuned the tone regulation begins. Again this work proceeds with the purpose of bringing out the character of that one particular piano. The result is a piano that has something more than the sum of its parts. It is unique in touch and sound. It has the individual stamp of everyone that has worked on it. It has a unique history going back though the years to the craftsman who originally created the piano sometimes more than a hundred years ago through the restoration process which is totally individual to this piano.

Vintage pianos: Real value in a practical world
It is very well to talk of the beauty of the piano and its marvelous sound, and its soul. What does this all mean in the real world?
Vintage Steinway pianos as an investment
Your primary investment in the purchase of a vintage piano is in the satisfaction that you get from playing, and looking at the piano. This is the intrinsic value of the piano and is completely subjective. The monetary value of the piano can be identified by comparison shopping. First we will consider vintage Steinways in as is condition. This means that full restoration is needed. Here are realistic wholesale prices that a dealer would typically pay for each model of piano needing full restoration.
Steinway S, 5 ft 1 in. $4,500.00
Steinway M, 5 ft. 7 in. $5,500.00
Steinway O, L, 5 ft 10 ½ in. up to $8,500.00
Steinway A1, 6 ft. 2 in. up to $9,500.00
Steinway A2, 6 ft. 1 in. up to $9,500.00
Steinway A3, 6 ft. 4 in. up to $11,000.00
Steinway B, 6 ft 11 in. up to $14,000.00
Steinway C, 7 ft. 5 in. up to$17,000.00
Steinway D 8 ft. 11 in. up to $22,000.00
These are wholesale prices for ebony pianos with straight legs. Dealers would usually pay a premium for wood tone pianos with ornate or art case styles. A premium is sometime paid for usable ivories.
Here is a spreadsheet giving the retail prices for most common models and styles of restored Steinway vintage grand pianos. This can be verified by comparison shopping.


Now that you know more than you ever wanted to about vintage Steinway pianos I will include some pictures depicting the various styles of legs ie. Flower Pot Ice Cream Cone, Tulip, Serpentine, Louis XV.


Flower pot legs on upturned Steinway D


Louis XV Mahogany A


Mahogany Steinway M with Modern Steinway Legs


Victorian Steinway B with window pane legs
Another name for the legs is tiffany


Mahogany O with window pane legs


Victorian A with Ice cream cone legs


Serpentine Legged Cut Down Centennial D


Tulip Leg Steinway Mahogany B

Other makes of valuable vintage pianos

There are several other brands of piano that have value as vintage pianos. They are Mason and Hamlin, Bechstein, Bosendorfer, Bluthner, etc. These pianos can be extremely satisfying to play, but do not have the investment value of Steinway pianos. Furthermore they are harder and more expensive to restore properly.
If you have read up to this point you will have the basic knowledge of what a vintage Steinway Piano is. You will also have a good idea of what an as is Steinway grand piano in need of restoration should cost as well as what a vintage restored Steinway piano should cost.

Remember that no search for a vintage restored piano is complete without a trip to Craftsman Piano Sales and Service.

Joe Hanerfeld
Craftsman Piano Co.
www.craftsmanpiano.net

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

Baldwin Acrosonic Spinet for sale at Craftsman Piano

Baldwin Acrosonic Spinet

$1,500

Year: 1960’s
Size: 42 in.
Color: Walnut
Finish: Satin
Action Parts: Original
Sound Board: Original

Description: This is a reliable good sounding, reconditioned, beginner student piano. It is small and would fit very nicely in a typical living room. This piano is a great value.

Located at 578 Nepperhan Ave. in Yonkers, NY Craftsman Piano Co. is a full service piano restoration and sales facility. We use only the finest materials, and we pride ourselves on doing concert quality work. This is an invitation to come and see our work shop and our pianos. You will find superb quality, and very competitive prices. A list of our inventory, pictures, descriptions, and videos, can be seen on our web site, www.craftsmanpiano.net .

Our services include: Tuning, new key tops, action repairs, refinishing, sales, new soundboard, new pin blocks, rebuilding, and complete restoration.

Craftsman Piano: Convert your old Piano to a Desk

Many old family upright pianos present a dilemma. The case of the piano is beautiful, the piano has sentimental family value, but the piano is no longer a musical instrument which can function properly. The cost to restore the piano to usefulness is prohibitive. What to do? Here is a possible solution. The piano could be turned into a desk, a computer station, a stand for keyboards hooked into a midi system, etc.

Recently one of my clients faced this dilemma. She had a piano which had been in her family from the time her parents were children. This piano was cherished by the family, and had been moved from place to place as the family moved. The problem was that the piano did not work well enough for the children to take lessons on. The family purchased another piano leaving the old upright piano to take up a corner of their living room. The client came up with the idea to convert the piano into a desk. She was referred to me and explained her idea. I thought that her idea was an elegant solution to a problem that I encounter frequently. The result is shown in the picture below.


There are many beautiful upright pianos with rare veneers and ornate cases and legs. These kinds of pianos will likely never be available again. The turn of the century craftsmanship would be far too time consuming to be practical in our modern world. It seems a dreadful waste to throw these pianos out. Turning the piano into a functional piece of furniture seems to be a far better solution than putting what is really a piece of art in the garbage. For this reason Craftsman Piano Co. will provide this service.

Please call Joe Hanerfeld at 914-476-6704 or visit our web site at www.craftsmanpiano.net.