What type of wood are old pianos made of?

Many different types of wood are used in a piano for various parts. These include birch, maple, fir, oak, mahogany, ebony, spruce and many other exotic woods.

What wood are most old pianos made of?

Given the age and origin of our particular piano, it's quite likely to be Norway spruce (Picea abies) but could also be another commonly used spruce species such as Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) or white spruce (Picea glauca). Piano soundboards are not one solid piece of wood.

What are old pianos made of?

Pianos built over 300 years ago, had keys made from wood entirely, but then ivory became a preferred material due to its excellent quality and durability. Ivory typically comes from rhinos and elephants.

What kind of wood is a piano soundboard made of?

Sitka Spruce has since become the wood used in top quality pianos made in the USA, as well as other stringed instruments. Why Sitka? Because it is readily available. European piano manufacturers' use wood from Spruce trees for their soundboards too, though from species available in their part of the world.

What are old piano soundboards made of?

Piano strings are made of steel. In contrast, the soundboard that translates their energy into a rich, resonant sound is made of wood.

Are Tonewoods of the Acoustic Piano

What are old upright pianos made of?

The predominant woods are now mahogany and walnut, with a smattering of oak pianos being produced. There is a great difference in the look of applied moldings from 1900 to 1909. At the beginning of this period, the imitation wood carvings were usually very small and delicate.

Why is spruce used for soundboards?

Spruces are often used in the sound boards of instruments from the lute, violin, oud, mandolin, guitar, and harpsichord families; as well as the piano. Spruce is particularly suited for this use because of its high stiffness-to-weight ratio.

Are old pianos solid wood or veneer?

Almost all antique pianos are made with veneer. It's been estimated that as much as 95 percent of the antique piano supply has veneer. When looking at used or antique pianos as a choice today, don't be afraid of a veneer cabinet. Veneer adds to its classic good looks, builds strength, durability, and charm.

Is it safe to burn a piano?

Not at all. Artists maintain that pianos should be old and broken before burning them. Before giving instructions on how to burn pianos on her website, Lockwood warns “All pianos used should already be beyond repair.”

Are ebony piano keys worth anything?

I buy chunks of ebony for about 5~10 dollars, in piano keys that would work out to about 3 for a buck. Keep in mind too that your mailing costs alone, in my my case from North Carolina to Ontario, are probably more expensive then what folks could buy the wood for locally .

What percentage of the piano is wood?

What should you look at when making your final selection? Since the majority of any piano – 85 percent – is made up of wood, its one of the first and best places to begin.

Should I buy a 100 year old piano?

The answer is: it depends. Old pianos can continue to sound wonderful for many years with regular maintenance and care, but even pianos that have deteriorated can often be restored to their former glory, and in many cases made to sound even better than when they were new.

How can you tell how old a piano is?

Pianos also have other numbers printed on them such as part numbers and many other pianos do not have a serial number at all. Many pianos will have a 4, 5 or 6 digit serial number to identify the age of the piano. Using this number, along with the manufacturer, the age of the piano can sometimes be determined.

Can you tune a 100 year old piano?

Tuning obviously falls under basic maintenance and is something that any piano owner should keep up on. Unfortunately, we have often found that an old piano that has not been properly maintained over the years may not be tunable without a serious amount of repair/restoration work.

Which is better spruce or mahogany?

Mahogany guitars sound smoother and warmer compared to spruce top guitars which sound brighter and more crisp. This is because mahogany produces more bass and mid-range emphasis compared to spruce which has more treble emphasis.

Is mahogany stronger than spruce?

Mahogany's stronger than spruce. Side/back woods are usually more dense than the topwood. However, Mahogany is light enough and strong enough to be used as a topwood.

Are old upright pianos worth money?

Antique pianos and organs can be valued anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. It is important that sellers realize the real value difference between a restored instrument and an unrestored instrument.

Who made pianos in the 1800s?

Square grand's were very popular during the mid to late 1800's and many were made by the first manufacturer's in the U.S. including Steinway & Sons, Chickering, Knabe, Weber and many more. These antique pianos are popular even today.

What can I do with my old upright piano?

Why are pianos so heavy?

Most of the weight of any piano comes from its extremely heavy cast iron harp. Small upright pianos only weigh 300 to 400 lb because they have a smaller cast iron harp than big upright pianos. Big uprights run from 600 to 800 lb. Big old player uprights can even hit 1000 lbs.

What were piano keys made of in 1900?

Ivory piano keys were always made with three separate pieces of ivory. Two of the pieces form the top layer that the fingers hit when playing the piano.