Piano Restoration and Rebuilding for Boston
Restoring pianos for Boston, MA
Illos Piano Restorations restores fine pianos for Boston-area owners, from Back Bay brownstones to conservatory practice rooms, with transport arranged in both directions.
Illos Piano Restorations specializes in the rebuilding and restoration of fine pianos for Boston owners, including Steinway, Baldwin, Mason & Hamlin and many others. At our own facility in Buffalo we perform restringing, pinblock and soundboard replacement, complete action rebuilds, hand stripping and refinishing in high-gloss polyester, satin lacquer or natural wood.
What we take on for Boston customers
Major repair work and full restorations only, carried out at our shop in Buffalo. Your piano has to come to us at 2940 Main St. We do not travel to Boston for tuning, regulation, small adjustments or other minor repairs, and we would rather say so plainly than sell you a long-distance callout. For that kind of work you want a good technician near you.
What does justify the journey is the work that takes months on a bench: a new pinblock, restringing, soundboard replacement, a complete action rebuild, or a full refinish. Getting the piano here is our problem, not yours. Where Boston is beyond the range of our own truck we facilitate the move with our partner piano movers and coordinate it end to end, so you deal with one company from the first phone call to the piano coming back through your door. Because the instrument is with us for months, transport ends up a small share of the total cost.
Working with eastern Massachusetts
Boston has more serious pianos per square mile than almost anywhere in the country, and a city with Symphony Hall, the New England Conservatory and Berklee in it produces a steady supply of instruments that have been played hard for decades.
New England humidity swings are the other factor. Pianos that spend winters in dry heated rooms and summers in coastal damp move more than most, which shows up as loose tuning pins, cracked soundboards and glue joints that let go. Those are exactly the failures a proper rebuild addresses rather than papers over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth shipping a piano from Boston to Buffalo?
For a full restoration, yes. The work takes months in the shop, so freight is a small share of the cost, and you get a rebuild done entirely under one roof by the staff who quoted it.
My piano has a cracked soundboard. Is it finished?
No. Soundboard replacement is demanding work but it is work we do, and it is often what brings an old instrument genuinely back to life rather than merely making it playable.
The humidity here is brutal. Will that undo the work?
Not if the piano is looked after. We will talk you through sensible humidity control for your room when the piano is delivered. A stable environment protects the investment more than any single component we fit.
How do I start?
Call 716-832-0013 or use the contact form with photographs, the make and the serial number, and we will tell you honestly whether the instrument justifies the work.