Fortepiano Restoration

The workshop has facilities for all sorts of woodwork and every aspect of the restoration is executed on the premises. We were taught by experience that good results are only possible after a full restoration. Early pianos are almost always warped by the string tension over the years. This causes a change in the inner scaling - resulting in a non-sounding treble. The pianofortes were built using bone glue which is a good material, but one that gets brittle and loses its strength after 150-200 years. Glued joints let loose and - important for the sound - cracks and loose ribs take away life from the soundboard.

Taking apart the instrument and rebuild it with - of course - all the original parts and using bone glue is essential for a solid and good sounding piano and became standard procedure in our shop. Missing parts are copied from similar instruments using old materials and principles. 15 years of renting out instruments for concerts and recordings proved the instruments completely reliable after a full restoration.

Below you will find some restoration pictures. There is also a more detailed photo report on the restoration of a Rosenberger fortepiano

Lagrassa (1815) before and after restoration

Treble	Action with one key and more than half of the hammers missing
Overall view, legs and dampers are missing	After restoration. It has been used for many recordings and concerts