When this Mason & Hamlin grand piano first arrived at the shop, it was already partially disassembled. The owners had made a valiant effort to start restoring it themselves—and quickly discovered just how massive a project a full rebuild really is. That’s something we see fairly often. These kinds of DIY starts actually work to our advantage because they give us an unusually clear look inside the instrument right from the beginning. And with this piano, what we found was both familiar and promising.

The strings were original—heavily rusted and corroded, which is very typical for a piano of this age. The soundboard had a few cracks I could fit my fingernail into, but it was still in reasonably good condition. The bridges looked solid. The plate, like most Mason & Hamlin plates, was massively overbuilt—these things easily weigh 50% more than your average grand piano plate. We planned to refinish it and return proper crown to the soundboard, polish the screws, replace all the felt, and install new tuning pins.

BEFORE

The action was a different story. Every component—hammers, shanks, whippens—was original and worn out. We replaced the entire action, which was essential for bringing this piano back to full playability. The keys had clearly been worked on before, but the lines and notches were uneven and the plastic nubs that had been used for spacing weren’t quite right. We debated whether to clean them up or replace them altogether and ultimately opted for a fresh set.

We also had to work around some of the usual quirks that come up with secondhand refinishing attempts—like leftover chemical residue and some missing parts. That’s always a challenge when we step in halfway through a job, but our team is used to solving those puzzles.

PROGRESS

And now, this Mason & Hamlin is done. Fully rebuilt. Fully refinished. It looks absolutely gorgeous and plays like a dream. We replaced the bass strings, addressed all the tonal issues, cleaned up the soundboard delamination, and restored the tactile feel to be smooth, expressive, and responsive.

AFTER!

Mason & Hamlin pianos are always a joy to rebuild. They’re overbuilt, incredibly powerful instruments that respond beautifully to restoration. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—every single Mason & Hamlin we’ve worked on has turned out phenomenal, and this one is no exception. It’s gone from a corroded, partially disassembled project to a fully revitalized grand piano that’s ready for another century of music.

If you have a family heirloom or a vintage Mason & Hamlin grand that you’d like restored, call our piano shop and we’ll get you scheduled for pick up. We’re regularly arranging national piano pick up and delivery routes—and we’d love to bring your piano back to life.

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