Uprights

[Granholm Bros.]

Dave and List:

I've been reading with interest the posts about refurbishing old uprights.
My brother and I have done many of them--they are a mainstay of our
business.  Here are a couple more observations based on our experience.

We run our business based first on what our customers want.  When we look
at a rebuildable old piano, we make sure our potential customer understands
the levels of work they can buy.  Some just want the piano working as well
as possible with original parts, and others want a total rebuild.  The key
is honesty with the customer.  I looked at two pianos last week, and my
recommendation in each case was that the customers not put their money into
those instruments--buy something new, or find a better old piano, so we can
be assured of a satisfactory result.  The rule, though, is that the
customer gets what he wants, and understands what that is.

Those who posted about the sentimental value of old pianos to some people
were absolutely correct.  We did a mid 20's 85-note Wurlitzer for a lady,
in spite of our recommendation that she not invest a lot of money in the
piano.  She didn't care about the cost--the piano had been her mother's,
and she had learned to play on it, and she wanted it made like new, and
hang the expense.  She didn't care that the piano was of marginal
quality--it was part of her family.  So we rebuilt and refinished.  She was
thrilled with the piano--so happy, in fact, that she sent her mother in to
buy one from us, and I now tune regularly for the customer, the mother, and
two sisters.  We've seen over and over again how a customer's eyes light up
when a refinished heirloom upright comes back into his home.  These people
love their pianos, and they happily write us large checks for the work we
do.  For most of them, the fact that their pianos are not Steinways is of
little importance--it's the memories of a grandparent or parent playing the
piano, or of the customer herself practicing as a child.  They are very
happy to see their pianos brought back to life.

Somebody mentioned maybe keeping a few old uprights around.  We do that.
We've had some customers poke through our "collection" and discover one
they like, which they have then purchased from us, rebuilt and refinished.
Again, one lady liked her old Schumann so much, she came back and picked
out another one for her mother.  The pianos, as I'm sure you know, are easy
to come by.  We get calls all the time, so we can be picky about what we
buy.  We've taken some junk in trade, but we part 'em out and recycle
plates, pins, wire, and as much of the wood as we can.

I know there are legitimate differences of opinion on this topic.  I've met
technicians who hate old uprights, and I've had my frustrating moments
trying to fix unfixable junky pianos too.  If you can't stand them, don't
work on them.  But I enjoy the restoration process, and it's gratifying to
see how great these old pianos can look and how good they (yes, some more
than others) can sound.

Thanks for everyone's input on this topic.

John Granholm
Granholm Bros Piano
Roseburg  OR