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CONSULTATION SERVICE  

We are able to schedule consults and assessments for early Steinway, Chickering, Knabe and Mason and Hamlin.   The archival research to provide the identification in the production books takes time, and a donation of $100 for this service is appreciated.   Click on “DONATE” to make a donation.

 If you wish to have a formal treatment report performed, we will coordinate with a member of AIC for this service.  A complete conservator’s assessment would require both our consult and the completion of a treatment report.  

We are able to reasonably identify not only the originality of the instrument and its components, but make a structural and wear assessment, and identify the piano with information from the Steinway production log, the Kehl production study and within the context of the criteria developed from our current research.

We can perform an estimate of repair and restoration.  Along with more conventional high quality rebuilding skills, we use techniques which are less invasive or non-invasive, and are designed to retain as much of the original components while achieving a high level of performance.

We recommend caution when obtaining rebuilding estimates.  Most rebuilding facilities - including large wholesale facilities and the manufacturer’s own restoration facility - do NOT differentiate between a standard rebuild and a historically responsible restoration.  No archiving, parts inventoring, and other historical records are kept. Very recent work performed by these facilities has been examined, and not only have we seen the removal of historically important action parts and soundboards, but w have seen the incompetent installation of new actions which barely function!

Please contact us by email or by telephone to arrange for a consultation.  

OUTGOING EXHIBIT: 

19TH CENTURY PIANOS IN THE HOME