Answers to Your Questions
Get answers to common questions about pianos.
Designing a Modern Smart Home Around a Self-Playing Piano
From Clare’s Player Pianos Adding a modern player system to your acoustic piano brings the magic of live music directly into your living room. With the QRS PNOmation system, you can convert your piano into a player piano without losing its unique character and sound. But integrating a self-playing piano into a smart home requires…
From Paper Rolls to Pixels: Preserving an Antique Music Collection
A traditional pneumatic player piano operates using a complex air pressure system and perforated paper rolls to play notes automatically. If you own an antique player piano, you likely have a collection of these fascinating historic music rolls. But preserving them—and keeping the piano functioning—requires specific care.
Baldwin & Chickering: Rediscovering the Forgotten Giants of America’s Golden Age
When shopping for an acoustic piano, names like Yamaha, Kawai, and Steinway & Sons are often the first to come to mind. However, America’s “Golden Age” of piano manufacturing was shaped heavily by two other legendary brands: Baldwin and Chickering.
The Magic of the Nickelodeon: Inside Story & Clark’s Ultimate Nostalgia Machines
When most people think of an antique player piano, they picture the classic moving keys and a familiar ragtime tune. But if you want to experience the absolute pinnacle of mechanical music, you have to look at the nickelodeon.
Bringing Your Wurlitzer Spinet Back to Life: Tuning & Maintenance
If you have a small, mid-century piano tucked against a wall in your home, there is a very good chance it’s a Wurlitzer spinet. Wurlitzer practically invented the spinet piano in the 1930s to offer families a compact, affordable instrument that could fit into smaller modern homes. Millions were sold, and today, they are one of the most common pianos passed down through families or picked up second-hand.
Common Issues with Used Kimball Pianos (And How to Fix Them)
For decades, the W.W. Kimball Piano Company was an absolute giant in the American music industry. If you grew up taking piano lessons in the 1970s, 80s, or 90s, there is a very good chance you played on a Kimball console or upright. Because they were mass-produced to be an affordable “family piano,” there are thousands of used Kimballs on the market today.
Restoring a Piece of History: The Chickering & Sons Legacy
When you sit down at a vintage Chickering & Sons piano, you aren’t just playing an instrument—you are touching a vital piece of American music history. Founded in Boston in 1823, Chickering is recognized as the very first piano manufacturer in the United States.
Is My Vintage Baldwin Worth Restoring?
If you have a vintage Baldwin grand or a classic Baldwin Hamilton studio upright sitting in your home, you might be wondering: Is this old instrument worth the cost of restoration?
Ivers & Pond Pianos: Craftsmanship That Lasts Generations
Founded in 1880 in Boston, Massachusetts, Ivers & Pond quickly became one of America’s premier piano manufacturers. During a golden age of piano production, they stood out for their dedication to artistry, innovation, and durability.