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piano to guitar project
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Author:  McCollum [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:46 am ]
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I can get a 1860's Steinway square grand covered in Brazilian. I'm thinking of makeing guitars from the parts?
It would cost to much to restore it!
I'm also having pains about cutting someone else's work?
Lance
Author:  John How [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:18 am ]
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Just think of it as giving the wood new life Lance. Like you said it would cost too much to fix. There may be some nice old top wood in there too huh.
Author:  jack [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:28 am ]
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I have case of an old square grand that was my Great grandfathers , it too is brazilian ,but mine is veneered over a core wood, and too thin for guitarmaking. I wold be very suprised if yours was solid wood , and if it's a Steinway, it's worth rebuilding.
Author:  McCollum [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:37 am ]
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The top might be Mahogany with braz venere, but thick
enough to resaw into sets legs solid Mahogany. heres what it should look like
http://www.worldofsteinways.com/detail.html?piano_id=609
Lance
Author:  David Collins [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:42 am ]
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It's surprising how early veneering started on pianos. Like Jack, I would be
surprised as well if it was a more than a thin veneer. I'm not sure I would
automatically say that if it's a Steinway it's worth rebuilding. The action is
nothing like what is used today, and the old square grands usually sound
like a decent upright at best. It's always a case by case basis.

I would guess it has a thin rosewood veneer, and the thin ivory caps and
ebony sharp/flat tips are too small to do much with. They often have
solid rosewood legs, which can offer several bridges or perhaps a few
mandolin fingerboards. Aside from that and perhaps some bracing or the
soundboard wood (which will be in 5-6" strips, no book matching),
there's not usually much bounty to retrieve.

If it is solid than you would be very lucky. Still, I would get a professional
opinion on it's value and restorability before hacking in to it. If it was
worth restoring you would have to plan on sinking a few thousand in to it.
Author:  David Collins [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:47 am ]
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Looks like you already posted while I was writing. That's definitely veneer.
There may be some useful parts in it, but in my opinion the destruction of
the piano wouldn't be worth what you would get out of it. Even if the piano
was a basket case and worthless, it would be questionable whether the
salvageable materials would be worth your time spent salvaging them.
Author:  jack [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:52 am ]
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If it's a Steinway, if there is an action with it,it's worth rebuilding by a professional, it won't be cheap.
Author:  McCollum [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:09 pm ]
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The dilemma has been solved. A furniture restorer is going to take it and turn it into a period piece desk, retaining it's original form. Steinway, or not, the square models are not really worth rebuilding and there were many internal parts missing.

I was looking at taking the top, which looks to be mahogany with a Brazilian veneer and resawing it and turning it into back and side sets. Yes, I understand the Brazilian is way too thin to make sets out of.

The legs would have made some nice necks, but that was where I was having a problem. I couldn't bring myself to cut up these beautifully carved legs!

I have asked the guy that has it if I could have some of the hammers, which are made of spruce, and possibly the soundboard from the guy who is taking it. That would be very cool and I don't have any reservations about using those parts.

The guy who owns it has a couple other Steinways and older pianos and has restored some. He thought carefully before decided not to restore this one, based on its condition and value if restored.

Makes for an interesting discussion though. Thanks everyone.

Lance

mccollumguitars.com
Author:  Bob Long [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:40 pm ]
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Lance, for what it's worth, I've made several guitars with tops made from the soundboards of old pianos. Some re-builds that are done to pianos require the soundboards to be replaced, so, often the piano doesn't need to be destroyed in order to harvest the spruce.

This is a Guitar I made a few years ago with a top from a 1918 Steinway Grand's soundboard.



The old piano soundboards are just spruce that's been spending the past 50 or 100 years creating piano music while it waits for one of us to turn it into a guitar.

And...the piano guitars have a really nice vibe because of all the built in history that comes with it.

long
Author:  Matt Gage [ Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:01 pm ]
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thats cool, i love the idea of using reclaimed wood.

Author:  Darin Spayd [ Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:25 pm ]
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I ran this question up the "flagpole" awhile back. My brother had a baby grand, the make slips my mind at the moment, and needed to unload it in order to move into a new house. It was in need of repair and we chose to dismantle it instead. David clued me onto the vaneer reality, but I still kept the carcass.

My real disappointment has come recently when upon closer examination of the soundboard, it turns out it's far from quartered. I guess I'll have lots of brace stock.
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