Pianos tend to collect a good bit of dust, dirt, and everything else. Before many repairs can be made, the piano need to be thoroughly cleaned. First, we try to get everything that will come off with a vacuum. While…
Cleaning Up
Month: March 2017
Starting The Action (step 1)
While the cabinet is being cleaned and repaired – the work on that action can begin. Overall, the action parts (i.e. the wood) is in good condition. No signs of brittleness, warpage, etc.. So, to help reduce costs, most of…
Removing The Strings and Pins
As part of any type of rebuilding, the piano will have new strings and tuning pins. To begin the process the old strings and pins must be removed. Before the strings can be safely removed, the high tension must be let…
The Piano
The subject of this semi-rebuilding will be an A.M. McPhail upright, built in 1889 (2 years before the company became a corporation). As can be expected from a 128 year old piano, it is very dirty. Lots,and lots of dust,…
Wm. Knabe & Co.
Wm. Knabe & Co. was a piano manufacturing company in Baltimore, Maryland from the middle of the nineteenth century through the beginning of the 20th century, and continued as a division of Aeolian-American at East Rochester, New York until 1982.…
Status
You may wonder where all the old blog posts have gone. The old blog seems to have had a problem and the older posts were lost.
We may, as we get time, begin reposting the old articles.
We are sorry if you were looking for something that is no longer there.
Background Story
A customer approached us about possibly semi-rebuilding an 1880’s A.M. McPhail upright they had found. The instrument was being given away by a local group which did not have any use for the instrument. Though the piano was in very rough shape,…
A. M. McPhail
Andrew M. McPhail founded the A.M. McPhail Piano Company in Boston Massachusetts during the year of 1837. McPhail’s production standards resulted in very high quality instruments. The company was incorporated in 1891. The A.M. McPhail company was one of the…