Piano Video Lesson: How Much Does it Cost to Restore a Piano?

Hi, this is Robert Estrin here at livingpianos.com and virtualsheetmusic.com. The question today is how much does it cost to restore a piano. Well, this is a wide open topic with a very wide range. If I had to one line it at the beginning for you, I'd say the average is around $15,000 to rebuild a piano. I say that that's just an average because there's a tremendous range depending upon a number of factors.

There are essentially three components to a piano. You've got the belly of the piano which is comprised of the soundboard, the pin block, the strings, the plate and all of that. That's one component of a piano. You've got also the furniture of a piano. Just refinishing a piano costs thousands of dollars because it has to be disassembled and sprayed and rubbed out. If it's a satin finish or a high gloss, it has to be a very clean room with no dust and all of that. Then, you've got the action with its somewhere around 10,000 parts.

There are some rebuilders that get between $30,000 to $40,000 to restore a piano. Obviously you don't do this with a cheap Asian production piano. But, pianos like Mason and Hamlin, Steinway or some fine European pianos like Bosendorfer or Bechstein, since those new can cost $80,000 or more it's certainly well worth considering spending that kind of money to restore them.

Where did I get this $15,000 figure? Well, the soundboard of the piano - just that one component - oftentimes soundboards can be repaired to function on a very high level. But, when they have to be replaced, just a soundboard replacement can cost $8,000 to $10,000. That one component can be a game changer in the cost of restoring a piano.

There are also of course different levels of restoration as well as the quality of restoration. Hopefully if you have a piano that needs restoration it doesn't need absolutely everything. It's possible, for example, the finish is okay but maybe the strings are rusted out from being near the beach. Or, maybe the action's worn out from a lot of play but the rest of the piano is okay. This is why there's a very wide range, as well as the quality of parts that you're using and the quality of manufacturing in the first place warrants different levels of work that you might consider doing to a piano. Thanks so much for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at livingpianos.com and virtualsheetmusic.com.

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