Piano Restoration and Rebuilding for Syracuse
Restoring pianos for Syracuse, NY
Illos Piano Restorations serves Syracuse and central New York, restoring pianos for homes, schools, churches and performance spaces.
Illos Piano Restorations specializes in the rebuilding and restoration of fine pianos for Syracuse 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 Syracuse 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 Syracuse 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 Syracuse 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 central New York
Syracuse is a straight two and a half hour run east on the Thruway, so collections there fit easily into our schedule and transport adds little to a restoration quote.
Central New York winters are hard on pianos. Months of dry heated air shrink soundboards and loosen tuning pins, and an instrument that goes through that cycle for decades without attention will eventually stop holding a tuning at all. That is usually the point at which owners call us, and usually it is fixable.
Frequently Asked Questions
My piano will not hold a tuning any more. What is wrong?
Most often the pinblock. When the block no longer grips the tuning pins consistently, no amount of tuning will hold. Replacing it is a core part of a rebuild, and ours are drilled for a consistent fit and shimmed so all gaps at the plate flange are eliminated.
Is winter dryness really that damaging?
It is the single most common cause of the problems we see in central New York. Sensible humidity control in the room does more to protect a piano than anything else an owner can do, and we will advise on it when the instrument goes back.
Do you serve the smaller towns around Syracuse?
Yes. The collection run covers central New York generally, not just the city. Give us the address when you enquire.
Can you give a rough idea of cost before collecting?
An initial view, yes, from photographs, the make and the serial number. The firm written quote follows the shop assessment, and no work starts until you approve it.