1933 Steinway L - Restoration
Built in 1933, this Steinway L grand piano arrived with nearly a century of wear - damaged cabinet finish, deteriorated keytops, cracked soundboard, and strings long past their prime. Notably, the action had received new hammers and wippens approximately 10-15 years prior, a testament to the instruments well-cared-for history. Over the course of five weeks, this remarkable instrument was carefully brought back to life through a comprehensive restoration encompassing restringing with new tuning pins, soundboard crack repair, key rebushing, full key top replacement, regulation, and voicing. The result is a piano that plays and sounds as it was always meant to - now at home in a dedicated recording studio and rehearsal space where it will continue to make music for decades to come.
Years of wear had taken their toll on the cabinet of this piano, with significant damage to the case finish revealing the bare wood beneath. Touching up the cabinet finish in damaged places like this was among the tasks completed as part of the restoration.
The piano arrives at our dedicated workshop where it would spend several weeks undergoing a comprehensive restoration.
The difference between the old keytop and a pristine new acrylic replacement tells the story clearly. While the original keytops on a 1933 Steinway would have been ivory, these had already been replaced at some point in the piano’s long history - and after decades of use, it was time for renewal once again.
With the strings removed, our specialist carefully shimmed the soundboard cracks - a precise and painstaking process that restores the tonal integrity of this critical component.
The full action and newly rebushed and rekeytopped keys laid out in the workshop, ready for reassembly. Each of the 88 key bushings was replaced with fresh cloth, restoring the smooth, precise guidance that defines a properly functioning keyboard.
With the old strings removed and the soundboard carefully shimmed and cleaned, the instrument is ready to receive an entirely new set of strings.
The restoration nearing completion. The green patches visible on the cabinet mark areas of finish repair in progress, a final cosmetic step before the instrument is returned to its owner.
The restored 1933 Steinway L in its home - a dedicated recording studio and rehearsal space worthy of the instrument. Fresh strings, new key bushings, new keytops, repaired soundboard, and a fully regulated action ready to perform.
Home at last.
“Julian is a skilled and professional piano technician; he recently facilitated a restoration of my 1933 Steinway L and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. I would recommend him highly for any piano service one may require.”
-Andrew Martin, Musician
If your piano has a story worth continuing, I’d love to help write the next chapter. Get in touch to discuss what’s possible.