The Unfortunate Fate of the World's Greatest Un-restored Steinway 

And now for some good news about a piano rebuilder in Kansas: In 1977 I coughed up $800 for an 1868 Steinway square grand piano that was under a blanket in the corner of a backwoods mobile home. I asked the retired past-president of the Kansas piano technicians guild to check it for me. ("If you don't buy it, Jim, I am!") The instrument, which was a wedding day gift from an 1800s husband to his new wife, had been in the family for five generations. Financial hard times forced the sale. I was privileged to visit the rebuild shop throughout the $1200 process and even helped with menial tasks. The technician lovingly brought the instrument back to life. My favorite memory from my mostly silent watching of his labors was seeing him clasping each removed key between his knees and ever-so-slightly scraping layers of ivory from the keytop to remove a little of the century-plus embedded grime. In 1980, I sold the instrument for $4K to a young dad who had added a small room to his home to house a Steinway for his daughter. Despite the sonic limitations of the square design, it fit the too-small-for-a-grand room perfectly. The LOVE and RESPECT that the long-gone rebuilder infused into that ancient Steinway live on through generations of the new owner's family.

The sincerity of your outrage is very touching. I share it. We live in a world where original parts aren't fixed, they are replaced. Easier and cheaper, I suppose. But we are losing our respect for the craftsmanship of old. I very much hope that word gets to the purchaser of that piano before it's too late. This was a very instructive and important video. Thanks so much.

This is truly heartbreaking! I agree with you 100%. Every tree is different, and therefore no two pianos are ever alike. No matter how wonderful the design and the craftsmanship, and the consistency of the builders, sometimes a piano just sounds extra special because of the differences in the woods, particularly the soundboard. Old growth trees like were used at that time are not available anymore, and many builders don't age the wood as much as they did back then before considering it ready to make into a soundboard. Changing hammers and strings is another thing entirely. That is more like routine maintenance as in getting a new set of tires for your car. Thanks for making this video. Hopefully it will educate a lot of folks and prevent similar tragedies in the future!

If it ain't broke don't fix it. Thank you for your integrity. We need that everywhere.

That Steinway sounded amazing. How could anyone even THINK about ripping out the soundboard? I sincerely hope you make another video telling us the original soundboard is still there. I bet you are kicking yourself for not buying it now. Sadly, in life, some things just aren't meant to be.

We see this in auto restorations as well. They take a beautiful auto and modify it to look different. It really is a shame to see such beautiful history destroyed by these people with no regard for the craftsmanship and beauty. That was a really nice Steinway they ruined. Thank you for sharing that sad information with us.

That is a shame. Vintage Steinways should be preserved. I just bought Benny Goodman's personal piano from his daughter. It is a 1931 New York Steinway M. It appears to be all original, and it is autographed by Theodore Steinway and also Josef Hofmann. There is no earthly way I am going to butcher this piano. I will keep it as original as possible

Sad news! Glad you were able to play it before its demise.

So many parallels to restoration of antique classic cars with the same cast of characters: the unscrupulous salesmen, the people who care and know the history of the designs of the original vehicle, and the resto-moders who make “something new” out of something “old” that may or may not be better, useful or safe. You and Jay Leno should interview each other at some point. Keep doing what your doing! This is so important!

Rich lady: "That is a priceless Steinway." Peter Sellars: "Not anymore."

Thanks for this. Great to hear your honesty and integrity. Steinway is indeed acting bizarre.

It always makes me sad when some people destroy a work of art (such as your example of a perfectly great and classic piano). There are differences between doing a restoration, a renovation and a complete reconstruction (that applies to many things). If the piano re-builders you mentioned are credible and ethical they, as you inferred, would find the excellent, examine the good and repair the bad. Will your video halt the tragedy of the destruction of this work of art, hopefully it will. Thank-you for making this video.👍👍👍👍👍

I can tell by your tone, that you are as dismayed about that piano as I am. Through the years, I have witnessed many fine instruments botched up by overzealous “technicians”. Yeah, I’m a bit ticked myself. Thanks for sharing!

Let's all just assume the buyer watched the video and contacted the restorers just in time before the soundboard got destroyed. This was sad to watch :( Great video though as always

I have heard about old concert Steinways being rebuilt in Poland, they are often cut down and rebuilt because very large pianos are not very saleable. Unfortunately it's all a commercial exercise and sorry to say, but the value of the actual piano (and the sound) is of no consequence for many buyers. Together with luxury wristwatches and handbags, it's the value of the brand name which actually is the the most important thing. The Steinway brand is what people will always want even if some are tone deaf.

I have a 1930 9' Knabe concert grand. I refused to let the rebuilder put in a new soundboard for the same reason. Today I have people rave over the incredible sounds surpassing even the Bosendorfer, Steinway and any others. Yes it needs some reworking on the sound board again, but when played quietly, it is a test of heaven. Never touch an old soundboard. 80 years of the best wood growth and mellowing over time. Can't be beat. On the Stradivarius violin, if you replaced the soundboard, would it be a strad?? Nope. Same thing here. Think about that.

WHI??? I hold to the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

I came across Hardman grand from the 1910-1920 era. It is all original and sounds and plays beautifully. At most it would need new hammers. The strings sounded clear and resonant. The case is a brown mahogany.I hope the organization that owns it does not simply replace it with some new shiny black instrument. They have a real gem right now. James, would you be interested in speaking to them about preserving and protecting this fine American piano? It is about 40 miles outside of NYC.

Old Steinway's should be listed just like old buildings.

That's like taking it's soul away!!

Nice to see your passion for the preservation of fine instruments and their history. That Steinway was awesome in the state you played it, let’s hope they did not chop it up!

Great sound, good to see you without your jacket.

That's pretty sad to hear, luckily not all rebuilders are like that.

This angers me to no end.

When you watch the movie, "Note by Note" you will have a much deeper appreciation of the quality workmanship that went into the actual building of the piano. A really tragic loss...

I believe part of the issue is the market demand for a "older" Steinway with a new soundboard is strong. Likely that market was aided if not driven along by an Industry that suggested the soundboard black magic / voodoo / hocus pocus being so critical that surely the safest way is to have new, just like the new keys, the new action, the new strings, new finish, all new, and the new high price to go along with that.

Dear James, Thank you for the information. I am sure many people have no idea what happens when a piano is restored. It makes one wonder how many fake Steinway were sold or any other famous brand pianos that are now basically a rebuilt with aftermarket parts that severely decrease the value and would not even have any idea that they were ripped off. As usual, you always have such great information and share it to keep the public safe. Rebuilders should be made to provide a complete list of what they have done and also have some sort of identifier on the instrument as well. Thank you for always caring and sharing! You are the best, Best wishes, Brad from Long Island

Major props on your Chopin chops!

Hey folks! SHARE this video and spread it around! In the small chance that the piano hasn't been defiled yet, the only way of the owner knowing about this is if it is seen.

I love your passion.My name says 'bike'but I did Allot of cars before I stopped.Car people go NUTS,when you put a Chevy engine in a Ford,and vice versa.I can tell the make of any pre '90's 'Big 3' car,by the sound of it's starter.I love hearing you play,and watching as you just meld with your equipment and produce a symphony of sounds.I can't play,but grew up with pianos in the house,and love hearing them.I'm sorry if the heart was stolen from something you loved too.

So sad! That a bit of history will be lost. Hopefully the new owner will prevent the sound board from being replaced.

Unfortunatley there are people like this who 'specialise' on all instruments

My 1886 Steinway B still has its original soundboard and bridges and many professional piano technicians have confirmed that this is one of the best Bs they have ever encountered. Rebuilding the action made all the difference.

I'm in shock Allway's the S bord☆ is the crucial aspect to its sound........ the wood age's, becomes louder clearer and most of all more sustain .... like taking the sound board out of a pre, war martin d 45 .... what fools in this world for money luv all your videos G STAR MAN

It sounded great already

I'm sure the honest answer to "why did my piano need a new soundboard?" is "so we could charge you for fitting one."

I am leaning back with a deep feeling of relaxation and satisfaction. My 1886 Hamburg Steinway still has its original soundboard and bridges. Yes, it has been bastardized by at least two different "repairs" in the 50s and 70s, but I've found a a Steinway expert, who evened out those bad repairs by choosing the right components in the action, such as new back checks, capstans and wippens and sanding down the hammers to their original weight. It plays like a modern Steinway, but it sounds like a piano from a forgotten age that even experts who dislike modern pianos appreciate as something special. And when I am in the mood I just visit a close friend, who has a collection of about 35 concert grands from the 19th century, such as Erard, Röhnisch, Bösendorfer, Ehrbar, Streicher, Graf, Blüthner, all of which have been restored to their original condition, are tuned and serviced on a regular basis and can of course be played. My friend is just in the process of restoring the legendary piano that Bechstein sent to Franz Liszt in 1862 and, no, he's not going to rip out the soundboard...

The piano sounded like a Claudio Arrau recording! OMG what are these “rebuilders” thinking?

Absolutely criminal. It is vandalism. It is now no more than a modern piano with a Steinway badge on it. Such a total disregard for a wonderful instrument. You buy a Steinway for its tone. What sort of arrogant builder believes that he can do a better job than the Steinway factory?! Such a sad story 😢

I agree with you. I plays piano also, but more on violin. Change the original soundboard similar with change the body of an antique violin. It will become new violin. In my country, we try to maintain the original soundboard, e.g. put some seam of it crack, etc. More older soundboard, more playing, more mature the wood, like wine. Such a waste by changing a good soundboard!

I'd love to meet whoever it is that bought the Steinway... 'Cause I've got this INCREDIBLE bridge for sale. I'm sure they'd really like it!

It was one of the greatest thing. I am really sorry...

It sound beautiful and they go off and really destroyed it, not prefect it. If it's not broken, don't fix it is how I see it.

If the soundboard was cut out and replaced it’s a travesty. How unfortunate the buyer found this piano.

I had a tuner who convinced me to completely replace my former 1910 Winter In Company (was my Great grandmother's) by convincing me that the tuning would never be at 440, closer to 430-ish. Which the latter would be appropriate for that instrument's time period. Needed new strings, too, which would have been expensive, but might have been doable if the person who came to look at my beloved ancestor's instrument had any regard for music history. He didn't, obviously.

I understand many soundboards are made of Sitka spruce. That wood was used in some of the finest 1920s thru 1950s aircraft, as it is resilient - strong - durable for its weight. For one, the de Haviland "Mosquito" of British WW2 fame was built of Sitka spruce. This wood is still sought by builders of today's "experimental" light aircraft.

I come from a guitar/violin repair background. Of course soundboards are sometimes replaced on those instruments too but it's usually done as a last resort. On historically important instruments, hardly ever. All soundboards distort over time, string tension sees to that. Cracks are commonplace too. There are means to address the more severe examples of soundboard distortion. I'm not qualified to comment on soundboard replacement on pianos. I do know that as a practice it's relatively widespread. It always struck me as being a little odd. Perhaps a piano rebuilder may make the case for replacement. It is perfectly possible to lessen the impact of a new soundboard by very carefully choosing the new soundboard to have very similar properties as the old one. Thickness, density and stiffness are the important parameters. However in terms of repair or restoration I was trained to preserve as much of the original instrument as possible.

Great video. Old isn't bad and I'm sad that people, usually those that buy a Steinway just to have a Steinway as a piece of furniture, do not recognize the importance of craftsmanship. Make it shiny, make it new, forget the rest.

Who are your favored piano rebuilders that you would recommend unequivocally?

Throwing aftermarket parts on a Ford doesn't magically make it a Dorman.

I’m looking forward to your video about the Steinway marketing strategies that was mentioned. When Steinway does some of these crazy property control things, it makes me even more satisfied with my purchase of my Baldwin SD-10; something tells me I won’t be running into these issues with Baldwin :P Replacing a top-tier piano soundboard should only be done in the circumstances where it cannot be saved.

I would ether ship one to Steinway to get fixed by them or go to a place that knows what they are doing. I don't understand people that think they need to fix things that are not broken. I do personally have a Essex 48in. Studio upright. I know it isn't a grand, but for the space I have it works just as well as a 5 foot grand. If I ever had a problem with it, I would send it to a trusted, recognized, dealer that fixes pianos or as stated above, send it back to Steinway. They are not the best pianos I have ever had the chance to play but they have a great warranty on all Steinway products. The grand that I get to play is a early 70's ≈6 foot Kimball grand. It is completely original, the only thing that has ever happened to it is tuning, cleaning, and when one of the pedals broke but has never been fixed. Even though it's never been rebuilt it purrs like a kitten. The action is smooth as silk and the sound ( especially the base ) is absolutely exceptional. I plan on buying it for myself if it is ever going to be sold, it's a piece of history, just like the Steinway on the video, this piano is newer but the soundboard is in perfect condition. I would never allow anything other then the strings to be replaced and the broken pedal fixed on this piano. ( For clarity it is not the sustain pedal that is broken, it is the Sostenuto pedal, the una corda does squeak quite a bit so it needs some attention. The thing that amazes me is that the sustain last for ages and the availability of sound is incredible. It goes from ultra whisper quite to loud enough to fill the building it's in enough to make your ears bleed. ) Sorry for being so long but I love that piano and the one in the video, and it saddens me to see such a great piano be destroyed for no reason other then turning a profit.

My God!!! You must do more reviews specifically on rebuilding pianos. There doesn’t seem to be much info about rebuilders besides what they write on their websites. We may not know what we’re getting into.

Usually it's none of the business' business, but, this is one time that the dealer that sold the piano should have asked "...so, what plans do you have for it?" and when told, "oh, were going to lug it cross country to a questionable dealership that's going to take the soundboard out and replace it" the proprietors could have redirected the customer to one of any other black d style.

I agree when you say that the company who made the replacement of the soundboard without testing it before haven't good reputation, even more if we talk about a vintage Steinway piano, but i don't agree that the owner of the piano could have legal issues because of that, why it should be?, i mean, like it or not once that the piano is buy the owner can do wathever he wants with it so there is no legal attachements to he in any form about this. I think that the owner maybe has been cheat by the company to change the sounboard, but maybe he is not and just want to change it because he didn't like the sound of it.

Very persuasive reasons to not remove soundboard.

So sad

Where is the sound board.

Lack of respect, lack of education, sorry to hear this.

I build and repair violins and rebuild pianos. Can you imagine putting a new top on a Stardivarius violin because it had some cracks? This is an excellent video and the comments and attitude made by James are excellent. The rebuilder in Arkansaw is right and even if new wood is used, the sound will be there but the color match will not likely be so good. Even if there are many cracks or the crown is gone. If properly restored, the crown will be back and the sound will be great. I have heard rebuilders say the old soundboard has lost it's sound and this is true, but it is due to all the cracking and open joints and loose ribs. When all these problems get repaired the sound will return and the crown will return, all though the crown takes a bit more understanding. Thank you for putting this out there, as it really is a crime to destroy these really great instruments, especially under the pretense that you are improving it.

Have you ever found out what happened to the piano?

There are evil families out there who have nothing better to do but wreck our stuff. Our culture and anything that is good. Trust me, it is true. Anything that is good is under attack.

Omg why do they do that???

i was wondering why would anyone touch a steinway and replace with other soundbox, probably because the restoration will take a lot of money, and then, for these vultures will be too hard to resell it since people won't pay for the restoration.

If you were to buy a Steinway what would you look for in a used Steinway to consider it still a Steinway.

So sad. Our culture does not value mature thing be it people, buildings and all other things.

So, are replacement hammers also implying no longer a legitimate Steinway?

It's only original once....now that's gone, an absolute tragedy….

why would someone just DESTROY a perfect piano? They did't even listen to it!

Philistines! 😟

If you have a 1930s Martin Acoustic, you would never replace the back, also a sound board, nor refinish the guitar! You would keep it original as possible but replace the strings. Keep the WOOD original!

It always gets to me that people take something special and wreck it simply to make some cash - referring to the rebuilders.

😱😱😱

Actually...... 9-foot concert grands have tremendous tension in them and over time that tension flattens out the crown of the soundboard. This is much more of a problem in large instruments than in smaller grands whose soundboards are more rigid. It's likely an 80-year old soundboard on a concert grand is almost certain to have lost its crown.

What the new owner and the restorer did was completely legal. Now there might be a civil legal deception issue if tries to sell it as "original" Steinway, but as w/ a lot of antique merch, the law isn't so clear cut. Look at Ford model T's. The majority of them that are still roadworthy have had most of their parts replaced. Some don't even have hardly any original factory installed part left.

It's like listening to a horror story :(

A Steinway restored by Steinway will have a new soundboard if needed made to the original specification using the same aged spruce as the original. A new soundboard will sound better than a poorly restored one if it’s made correctly.

Stupidity and money go hand in hand these days so not the least bit surprised which is a tragedy.

James, I suppose that it's entirely an economic decision (by the rebuilders) and that they have an efficient sales pitch even if they are pitch deaf. You know all of this. Would that artists knew their economics but I suppose that's pretty idealistic. Steinway has new owners (?) and the culture has changed. Sad but it's not the first great American brand sold to philistines.

There a certainly a few unscrupulous, or dishonest, or incompetent, or all three of them, characters in the second-hand piano trade, as I have personally discovered. What you describe seems odd, as the more common problem is the reverse, a restorer not restoring enough component parts of the piano, but only doing those that are relatively easy to do (e.g replacing key tops and hammers), while leaving fundamental unresolved problems inside, e.g. decayed wrest plank, lost downbearing, or seized-up action. Few restorers seem to have enough knowledge to do an appropriate and adequate job on every different type of piano they might encounter, and botch-ups are very common in this game, covering up an inadequate restoration with some cosmetic work that will fool a non-expert purchaser into thinking they are getting a piano that’s like new, when the truth is very different. In the UK it seems to be practically unheard-of to replace a soundboard. Restorers will normally do what you suggest, fill in cracks with matching pieces of wood and glue. However, it’s not necessarily needed to repair a cracked soundboard. Sometimes the sound is OK but a bit quieter than it should be, but this might be what is needed for a small home, so it’s better to leave it alone. As you say, it’s knowing what really needs doing, and only doing that, while respecting the original design and craftsmanship of the piano as much as possible, that is needed.

Sir, you are too modest. Part of the reason that piano sounded so wonderful was your skill in playing it. That said there is nothing to be gained in replacing the board if it has sufficient crown and gives the piano proper sustain. Steinway are also individuals. Each piano they build can have its own personality.

I agree the builder(s) should at minimal should at least listen to what type of instrument

Soundboard is the soul. Person who bought this is a loser. Famous or not. Stupid has no price on fame. 1936!!!! What the actual???!!! That is sad and no one can stop it. It makes me sad. I have always said, don't crush them, restore them, but this goes too far. Some will not ever be great again. It is a Steinway only once! As it should be. Find out who this famous person is so we can give him/her grief. Crazy! I don't like hearing about this. But this one most likely has been sacrificed. Hopefully, from this point forward, more wisdom and compassion which once only once, prevails. Nice video sir.

Please, make a followup about how the story of that grand ended.

Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

The whole point is the age, history, and as you say the sole. What a waste - why?......Cheers.

They shouldn't be able to sue people for modifying their own property. Of course they can set their own standards, they're more than welcome to do that, but it shouldn't be legally binding. Hopefully any court of law would toss a case like that. You're buying the piano, not leasing it. It's ridiculous legally speaking. Not saying that the restoration was the right decission, just that it shouldn't be something they should be able to sue people over. They bought it, they own it, it's their property, and thus they can do with it, what ever they please. They could gut it and turn it into a fish tank, if they wanted to, and still Steinway shouldn't be able to sue any one.

I bet the cracked the soundboard moving it or something... I don't trust anyone near my piano!

You should have bought it lol!

I think you’re statement here is clear. And you’re totally right about it. I also think that you can’t blame yourself because nobody, that’s to say no normal thinking human, would destroy a beautiful old piano like that! So you’re couldn’t know that that was going to happen. I hope that someone does something about it.

A “professional musician” bought it? Are we talking concert pianist? I can’t imagine any performance artist being so out of touch-literally-that they would turn such an instrument over to butchers as you’ve described. Let’s hope, at least for the sake of the buyer, that the dealer is rationalizing to assuage his conscience for his part in the sale....

Nooooooo. That piano was so special. What a waste.

You just can't engineer 83 years of playing into a new piece of wood. Hell, if a piano needs a new soundboard, you might as well just buy a new piano! Why go through all the trouble?

This kind of desecration of historically important musical instruments is nothing new. Every extant violin made by Antonio Stradivari has had the original neck replaced by a modern one. Dozens of pipe organs made by the great American builders E. & G. G. Hook, William A. Johnson, George Hutchings, And others have been electrified. Virtually every European organ from the Renaissance and Baroque periods (except for the famous Esaias Compenius organ in Denmark) had the pipe voicing altered in the Romantic period to reflect the fashion of the time.

Another horrible trend gaining popularity is to rip the action out of older Steinway’s and replace it all with plastic composite components. Very disgusting practice.

I live in Northern California and am thinking about having some work done on my piano. I hope this isn't a restorer in San Francisco/Bay Area. Please send me a private message if it is, and I'll be sure to avoid.

They are not piano restorers but conceded butchers.

Sacrilege! If this was done the piano is now worth less than before.

Probably some rich Asian bought it and decided to change the sound board simply because he or she could afford it. Am an Asian myself, a keen learner of the pianoforte but happily far from rich.