Pianola Restoration by Steve Dibble

Welcome to:

For the care and repair of your Pianola.

Servicing, repairs and full restorations undertaken.
I work to a very high standard using well proven traditional methods and
materials.
While my prices reflect this high standard you will find them to be
realistic.
I provide a 2 year guarantee on all Pianola action restorations as
a matter of course.

About
Us

Prices and Terms of Business

Sales

Pictures

Services

Contact

Other Services

For Sale:

Steck upright Pedal Electric Duo Art

Click here for details

Restoration

ebay sniper

Wilcox and White ‘Angelus’ Player

Melville Clarke 58 note push up player

Please click on the text or pictures to navigate between pages

Some points to consider before having your pianola restored:

*Most expensive is not necessarily best. I have over the years, worked on a number of pianolas that had previously been restored at great expense and it has become clear that these restorations were very poor and incomplete, (see *marked items on the ‘Pictures’ page) leaving unfortunate owners with no choice but to spend more money having the resulting problems rectified. A good restoration should last at least a generation, say 30 - 40 years with normal usage and maintenance. I automatically give a 2 year guarantee on all major restorations to give the instrument time to settle in and deal with any minor teething problems that might arise.

*Do not allow your pianola to be removed from your house before a firm price for the job is given, it will be more difficult and expensive to have it returned when you discover how much some restorers expect you to pay for a full restoration.

A competent technician will be able to make an accurate assessment of work required and costs, on site.

I charge £80 plus 50 pence a mile for a full written assessment which I refund if you decide to go ahead.

*In the current market restoration of your pianola is sadly not usually a sound financial proposition. They are rarely, if ever worth the cost of restoration. The labour intensive nature of a good restoration means the work will never be cheap, though neither does it have to be vastly expensive. In my experience most customers have their pianolas restored for sentimental reasons and to leave them for the next generation to enjoy and will justify the cost of restoration by the many more years of entertainment their restored pianola will provide. Apart from the enormous enjoyment pianolas give they are also complete musical instruments in their own right and will, with practice, enable you to play your own interpretation of favourite piano pieces.

*Be clear about what you want to have done and avoid being talked into doing more than originally agreed. The average pianola does not need to be brought up to concert standard for it to give many more years of trouble free service. Although of course it can be if that is what you want!

*Note*

I am fast approaching retirement age and while I don’t see myself stopping work completely for some time, I am aware that life can take unexpected turns. So if you are considering having your pianola restored it might be an idea to have it done sooner rather than later. Once I do stop work your options to have the work done in the future will be very limited. As far as I know there are only two full time Pianola restorers left in the UK and I’m one of them.

If you have used my services in the past and wish to leave a comment or for any other enquiries please send me an email by

clicking here

While I aim to reply to all correspondence promptly, there may, at times, be a delay due to my work commitments. If this is the case, your patience would be appreciated, I will get back to you.

Gotha Stecks