​LEWIS FAMILY PIANO GIFT

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We are at DC Piano Company in Berkeley looking for a pair of Yamaha U3s. Natsuki playing while Monica and Sonia lend ears.

Sonia giving it a go with Monica listening.

This went on for almost two hours as we narrowed down 12 candidate pianos to the two we selected. Turn up Volume

Here they are sitting next to the pianos they are replacing in Buck Hall Rooms 100 & 123.

Sonia at the controls of a brand new Yamaha C3 at the Music Exchange in Sacramento.

Natsuki giving the same piano a try.

Even the piano tuner took a swing. Cmaj is my friend!

The pros setting it up.

Voila ! !

Sitting next to the piano it's replacing in the Choral Rehearsal Hall.

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1958 Steinway Model D Concert Grand Restoration

Restoration work has begun on the Conservatory concert grand. The plan is to have it on stage before we break for Christmas. Here's how it's going to date:

Piano set up in Buck Hall as final assessment of its current condition is performed prior to breakdown.

Years of fingernail damage to the fall board.

Removing the dampers.

Measuring down bearing on the treble bridge.

Bass strings removed. The piano has just under 300 tuning pins that have to be removed.

This is the most physically demanding task the restoration will require. The 2.5lb mallet in the right top corner is used to break the strings at the tuning pin. The 1/2 horse power drill is then used to unscrew the pins from the pin block.

Marcelino (right) has been our campus piano mover for over 15 years. 

Rolling the D out to the mover's truck.

Setting the piano up at Bepler-Hillemeyer Restoration in Sonora, CA for case refinishing.

All the repairs the case required are complete. The sealer has been applied, next up the first coat of lacquer.

Here's the lid set up in the spray booth.

Lid in the spray booth with one of the three legs behind it.

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Here's a better image of the leg in the spray booth. Doesn't seem like much to see until you compare it to its condition when it arrived back in July (see next image).

Grant Hillemeyer, our refinisher, is very talented. All three legs were in this condition originally.

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The piano is about 6 weeks away from refinishing completion. The lacquer coats are coming next. I will have the action rebuilt by the time the piano is delivered. It will then get restrung and the action regulated. That will take 30 days or so. I'm hoping to have the piano back on Faye Spanos Concert Hall stage in early December.

Today is Nov 22, 2021. The piano is coming back to my home tomorrow, sans lid. Grant needs a little more time with the lid and I don't need it now as I will be restringing after Thanksgiving. His workmanship is top drawer.

After technical analysis of the piano action, a new set of hammers is ordered. When they arrive, they need to be prepped prior to gluing them onto their shanks. That process requires:

New Unprepped Renner Hammers

Boring new hammers to receive the shank

Tapering hammers to adjust weight and assist in clearance with adjacent hammers

Arcing the tail which allows the hammer to be caught by the backcheck so it doesn't bounce off the string when the key is played.

Stay tuned, the second act is about to begin. And Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Here's the stripped-down key frame, ready for the refresh treatment.

Keys going back on key frame. I had Yvonne Ashmore in Grass Valley install new key tops and strip/refinish the sharps. Yvonne has been providing this service for 30+ years.

Making a necklace? No, assembling new let off buttons. This allows for precise regulating when that step finally arrives.

First new let off button installed...87 to go.

New hammers getting hung on new shanks, takes around 2 hours for the complete set. 

Restringing begins!

Working on a freshly refinished concert grand, not for the faint of heart. Bob Davis was the Conservatory piano technician for 40 years and my mentor. He loaned me the aluminum protector that allows for a little slip of a tool now and again without crying. By the way, anything in red seen on the piano had to be custom made in my shop before installation.

It may be time to start planning a reveal party.

​HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE ! ! Susan & Marty