Night and Day! Wow what an enormous difference applying the hardener to the hammers made where obvuously needed. Bravo! I applaud yours and dedication to restoring the Chickering. Many buyers of old pianos are often naive when it comes to not considering the amount of restoration that's needed to restore or even improve the sound of the piano but not everyone. Then if you do buy a beauty that's needs some TLC trying to find someone to bring to life is a huge task in and of itself. Yes, you've done excellent job on restoring that Chickering and whoever you sold it to I hope they appreciated your hard work! Lucky them.
We can hear an improvement it dynamic range as well as tonality. What the demonstration can’t show us is the improvement in touch, consistency and playability. Overall wonderful results from quality work and attention to detail.
Thanks, Bill! I really wish there was a way to share more than sound. The overall improvement to control and playability was the most significant difference I was able to make to this piano.
I love your narration, it’s like reading an old novel. Or it’s like the video game Myst. I work a lot - but not quite as much as you - on an unrestored 6’ Sohmer from the same era (mainly regulation, tuning and voicing).
Hello-I new to your channel, and new to the world of piano repair and maintenance, but I still enjoyed and got a lot out of your Chickering “mini rebuild” video. Nice!!
Thanks for that thought! If you’re thinking about service, sadly I guess you’re right. Though if you’re looking to buy an instrument of mine, they can and have been shipped across the country.
Thank you for posting all the before and after! Even on a tiny speaker you can hear a richer colour palette and dynamic range in the after video. All the small improvements build up to make the big difference in this work!
What a beautiful work! The improvement is tremendous. As a former owner of similar era Chickering I wish you had worked on mine! As someone who loves to work on my own pianos (pianist by trade) I learned a lot. And your playing is very beautiful!
Sorry your Chickering didn't get the love it deserved. Thanks so much for the kind words. (And working on my own pianos is how I eventually got into this business.)
I love your channel. I learn so much. The attention you pay to the most subtle detail makes a world of difference. I wish I could afford to apprentice with you. Then again, I'd probably get on your nerves so badly you'd pay me to stay away 😆
Hello, I have schedule to look at Free 1923 Chickering Baby Grand in Mahogany. The owner mention A few things to know - it has not been tuned in many years, but it still has a beautiful tone and is lovely to play. Also, the middle pedal doesn’t work. A tuning would cost approximately $300-350, and a tuner/repair person could give you an estimate for repairing the pedal. My daughter played it for 7 years without that pedal :) I'm Excited yet nervous, this could be big money pit or I just DIY my self, like what you did? Therefore I'm not piano expert just pianist. What I heard when you play Before part seems like It does has beautiful tone even. I really Don't Know what to think now before I see it in person, I want American Baby Grand only . I love Kimball Baby Grand too, this. one free BG Kimball will go in days but some are asking for 500$ to 800$ In the same day different Hours I Schedule to Look at Free Marshall & Wendell Baby Grand in Walnut Finish, which is look promising because she is not mention anything to me only last tune in 18 months , perhaps this gonna the winner.
Best of luck!! You may want to hire a local tuner/technician to come assess the pianos before acquiring them. Of the brands you mentioned, the Chickering would likely have the most potential.
Good job and definitely an improvement! Also, an impressive amount of work done in 30 hrs. Correct me if I'm wrong but that appears to be a 5'8" Scale 145. I have always wanted to rescale one of those as I believe that there big room for improvement especially in the bass and tenor area.
Thanks, Regi. I don’t find any indication on the plate of the scale as you often do in old Chickerings. And the piano measures a pretty solid 5’7”. However, the scale could be a transfer of the 145 into a then-novel plate inserted in a slightly smaller case. I have had the thought that if you could travel back in time and work for Chickering, they would have given the Big Three companies a real run for their money.
Hm listening to this again, i have to ask myself, about that canned, perfect, modern Steinway sound.... Is it really just strike point, hammer, and string? It would be great if you could some how isolate the other components of piano sound. So for the same strings/tuning, strike point and hammers, what difference do the case, soundboard and harp make (assuming same piano length)?
I now have a show room and will soon have adjacent pianos of different mix. I had thought about comparing the “signature“ of different piano sounds. Not that that is exactly what you’re talking about but it’s somewhere along the same lines. I’ve also kept the hammers on a Baldwin I’m restoring. I plan on comparing the sound from those original hammers to the new ones. I know what you mean in terms of being curious about the different aspects of sound production in a piano.
@@insidepianos right. So harp, case, sound board, what difference do they make? E.g. if it is next to nothing (assuming high quality) then we can really focus on the rest, which we have control over. If on the other hand, case, harp and sound board make a huge difference, then it's great to know when to stop and get another piano.....
@thomasschwarz1973 The technician *should* focus on everything they can do to maximize the tone (and touch) on a piano, assuming a relatively healthy soundboard. HUGE gains can be made by attending to regulation, hammer choice and voicing, strike point, etc. However, all the above gains are capped by the condition and quality of the belly. A board that has lost its crown and/or integrity will yield limited results. A piano will need to go to a rebuilder in that case. But it’s also important to remember that pianos of different makes are scaled very differently. String tension, length, division of notes. These all influence the character of sound, as does design choices such as board thickness, bridge placement, ribbing. These are the things that make someone prefer a mint-condition Yamaha to a mint-condition Steinway. I feel I’m probably just spouting off things you already know. Perhaps the bottom line is that there’s no substitute for years and years of experience when judging where the technician-realm improvements max out on a particular instrument. We just try to keep on learning and refining our ability to assess the next best move.
Is voicing something that you need to be in the room to really hear? On some of the notes it’s a little more obvious, but on others it’s harder to hear.
It’s definitely easiest to hear live. But I’ve found it’s also something you have to train yourself to hear in some respects. People who get good at voicing are very systematic and analytic when they listen, as opposed to merely asking themselves, “does this sound nice?” When watching videos on voicing you want to make sure you’re listening on something good. Also, I will add that the voicing gains on this particular piano were appreciable but modest. The main improvement I made was to the action feel.
Night and Day! Wow what an enormous difference applying the hardener to the hammers made where obvuously needed. Bravo! I applaud yours and dedication to restoring the Chickering. Many buyers of old pianos are often naive when it comes to not considering the amount of restoration that's needed to restore or even improve the sound of the piano but not everyone. Then if you do buy a beauty that's needs some TLC trying to find someone to bring to life is a huge task in and of itself. Yes, you've done excellent job on restoring that Chickering and whoever you sold it to I hope they appreciated your hard work! Lucky them.
We can hear an improvement it dynamic range as well as tonality. What the demonstration can’t show us is the improvement in touch, consistency and playability. Overall wonderful results from quality work and attention to detail.
Thanks, Bill! I really wish there was a way to share more than sound. The overall improvement to control and playability was the most significant difference I was able to make to this piano.
Loved the bass notes on “Linus and Lucy”. Very well done. Beautiful piano.
Very nice work...Wish I could have you work on my 1975 Chickering...but 30 hours sounds a lot of work and expense. :)
This is a well done video. I am considering a 1928 Chick. This helped me know some things to look for...
Glad to hear it! Feel free to report back.
I love your narration, it’s like reading an old novel. Or it’s like the video game Myst. I work a lot - but not quite as much as you - on an unrestored 6’ Sohmer from the same era (mainly regulation, tuning and voicing).
Good for you, fixing up your Sohmer! I’m glad you’re enjoying my channel!
Hello-I new to your channel, and new to the world of piano repair and maintenance, but I still enjoyed and got a lot out of your Chickering “mini rebuild” video. Nice!!
I wish you were in my town
Thanks for that thought! If you’re thinking about service, sadly I guess you’re right. Though if you’re looking to buy an instrument of mine, they can and have been shipped across the country.
Thank you for posting all the before and after! Even on a tiny speaker you can hear a richer colour palette and dynamic range in the after video. All the small improvements build up to make the big difference in this work!
Thanks for appreciating the difference. The malleability of tone in pianos is what makes the work so fascinating and rewarding.
What a beautiful work!
The improvement is tremendous. As a former owner of similar era Chickering I wish you had worked on mine! As someone who loves to work on my own pianos (pianist by trade) I learned a lot. And your playing is very beautiful!
Sorry your Chickering didn't get the love it deserved. Thanks so much for the kind words. (And working on my own pianos is how I eventually got into this business.)
Wonderful adjustment/ tone change based on strike point ...
Thank you, good sir!
Beautiful work and results as usual!
Thanks, Bryan!
I love your channel. I learn so much. The attention you pay to the most subtle detail makes a world of difference. I wish I could afford to apprentice with you. Then again, I'd probably get on your nerves so badly you'd pay me to stay away 😆
Hey, thanks so much for the kind words! I’m glad you’re into the channel. Good luck with your tech efforts!
Fansastic work, as always! Yes, it's certainly difficult to convey in the before/after video the all important improvement in touch and playability.
Thanks!! And yes, the action response really was the main improvement here.
Hello, I have schedule to look at Free 1923 Chickering Baby Grand in Mahogany.
The owner mention A few things to know - it has not been tuned in many years, but it still has a beautiful tone and is lovely to play. Also, the middle pedal doesn’t work. A tuning would cost approximately $300-350, and a tuner/repair person could give you an estimate for repairing the pedal. My daughter played it for 7 years without that pedal :)
I'm Excited yet nervous, this could be big money pit or I just DIY my self, like what you did? Therefore I'm not piano expert just pianist.
What I heard when you play Before part seems like It does has beautiful tone even.
I really Don't Know what to think now before I see it in person, I want American Baby Grand only . I love Kimball Baby Grand too, this. one free BG Kimball will go in days but some are asking for 500$ to 800$
In the same day different Hours I Schedule to Look at Free Marshall & Wendell Baby Grand in Walnut Finish, which is look promising because she is not mention anything to me only last tune in 18 months , perhaps this gonna the winner.
Best of luck!! You may want to hire a local tuner/technician to come assess the pianos before acquiring them.
Of the brands you mentioned, the Chickering would likely have the most potential.
Good job and definitely an improvement! Also, an impressive amount of work done in 30 hrs. Correct me if I'm wrong but that appears to be a 5'8" Scale 145. I have always wanted to rescale one of those as I believe that there big room for improvement especially in the bass and tenor area.
Thanks, Regi. I don’t find any indication on the plate of the scale as you often do in old Chickerings. And the piano measures a pretty solid 5’7”. However, the scale could be a transfer of the 145 into a then-novel plate inserted in a slightly smaller case.
I have had the thought that if you could travel back in time and work for Chickering, they would have given the Big Three companies a real run for their money.
Looking back at this video I see you filing hammers to fit the strings which is ok but should you have first leveled the strings first?
In an ideal world, yes. Definitely a protocol I use for my restrings. When limited for time, with established pianos I sometimes accept what’s there.
Where is your shop? You are an excellent piano technician. I need one.
I'm in central NC. Is that within range?
Hm listening to this again, i have to ask myself, about that canned, perfect, modern Steinway sound.... Is it really just strike point, hammer, and string? It would be great if you could some how isolate the other components of piano sound. So for the same strings/tuning, strike point and hammers, what difference do the case, soundboard and harp make (assuming same piano length)?
I now have a show room and will soon have adjacent pianos of different mix. I had thought about comparing the “signature“ of different piano sounds. Not that that is exactly what you’re talking about but it’s somewhere along the same lines. I’ve also kept the hammers on a Baldwin I’m restoring. I plan on comparing the sound from those original hammers to the new ones. I know what you mean in terms of being curious about the different aspects of sound production in a piano.
@@insidepianos right. So harp, case, sound board, what difference do they make? E.g. if it is next to nothing (assuming high quality) then we can really focus on the rest, which we have control over. If on the other hand, case, harp and sound board make a huge difference, then it's great to know when to stop and get another piano.....
@thomasschwarz1973 The technician *should* focus on everything they can do to maximize the tone (and touch) on a piano, assuming a relatively healthy soundboard. HUGE gains can be made by attending to regulation, hammer choice and voicing, strike point, etc.
However, all the above gains are capped by the condition and quality of the belly. A board that has lost its crown and/or integrity will yield limited results. A piano will need to go to a rebuilder in that case.
But it’s also important to remember that pianos of different makes are scaled very differently. String tension, length, division of notes. These all influence the character of sound, as does design choices such as board thickness, bridge placement, ribbing. These are the things that make someone prefer a mint-condition Yamaha to a mint-condition Steinway.
I feel I’m probably just spouting off things you already know. Perhaps the bottom line is that there’s no substitute for years and years of experience when judging where the technician-realm improvements max out on a particular instrument. We just try to keep on learning and refining our ability to assess the next best move.
The tone still is “plucky “ after as before. A Weichert hammer might increase the sustain.
As always, interesting, good presentation and playing👌🏼
And as always, thanks for watching!
Is voicing something that you need to be in the room to really hear? On some of the notes it’s a little more obvious, but on others it’s harder to hear.
It’s definitely easiest to hear live. But I’ve found it’s also something you have to train yourself to hear in some respects. People who get good at voicing are very systematic and analytic when they listen, as opposed to merely asking themselves, “does this sound nice?”
When watching videos on voicing you want to make sure you’re listening on something good. Also, I will add that the voicing gains on this particular piano were appreciable but modest. The main improvement I made was to the action feel.
@@insidepianos You did well though, it sounds great! It will definitely be a special instrument for another decade hopefully!
Sounds exactly the same, to me.
Sorry, but i prefer before 🥲