Charlie had purchased an Erard Upright from 1066 in the 1990s – a lovely rebuilt instrument from around 1900 and as a family they had really enjoyed it.
When they moved from Cambridge to London the Erard upright went downstairs in a living basement area and was still much enjoyed. On the ground floor in the Drawing Room sat an old Erard grand. All original and not really restored at all from new 120 years before. It had become untuneable and hardly playable.
We were called in to assess the piano by Charlie and it was a big job. Veneer works were needed to the case, the wrestplank and bridges needed renewing, the soundboard needed work. The action was the original Erard forked shank roller but although in a poor way was restorable along with the Erard underdamped system.
Our quote was deemed acceptable and the piano collected. We spent many, many hours restoring the original action and damper system, we completely rebuilt the acoustic area. Much of the cabinet was re-veneered but the result was fantastic!
