Autumn news and piano SALE!

Autumn is well under way and our annual bonfire party this Saturday looks set to be an indoor affair this year as the forecast is wet. The Devon countryside around us is ablaze with wonderful colours this season as always, and with a huge waiting list of repairs, our minds are turning to Christmas already! 

We have several large restorations which will be completed during November, including a unique and extremely special 1890s Bechstein grand featuring ornate gilt embellishments on its rosewood case. 

It's a joy to work on this unique antique Bechstein V grand piano

 Another rosewood Bechstein is going back to Exmoor next week to its piano teacher owner having been full restored, and a beautiful restored Bluthner upright will be delivered to its new owner later this month - a recording studio in Bristol.

Bechstein grand piano soundboard during restoration

Our new technician Henry has proved himself invaluable to Bill in the workshop this year. His engineer's mind and expertise as a pianist mean that he's learning fast, and Henry is now undertaking everything from complex action work to restringing and fitting new wrest planks. He now works several days a week with Bill, as well as keeping up with his private teaching commitments, and has also enjoyed developing his refinishing skills during the year. As well as refinishing conventional wooden cases, both antique and relatively modern, Henry has become highly skilled at bespoke lacquer finishes. He's also made some amazing key rings from reclaimed piano parts which are proving popular as gifts.

Key rings made from authentic reclaimed piano parts are just £3 each.
Top to bottom: ebony notes, Bechstein hammer heads and tuning pins

We have seen a huge rise recently in the number of clients requesting bespoke coloured pianos. Using ultra hardwearing lacquer colour matched to Farrow & Ball shades, we're able to transform lacklustre mid-century pianos into statement pieces. Greys are perennially popular of course, but we've also had requests for some fabulous dramatic colours, including Inchyra Blue (see photo), which looked amazing in its new contemporary home. 

Bespoke colour upright pianos. The right hand one is in Inchyra Blue by Farrow & Ball

Tom, our tuner/technician, remains busy as ever touring many weekends of the year with The Beach Boyz Tribute Band but is also essential to our team! Tom got married earlier this year and he and his new wife Becky are expecting their first child just before Christmas. Most of the team has now seen Tom perform and we were all blown away by his stage presence as well as his voice! Luckily, Tom still finds time to undertake tunings and many repairs, and we've lost count of the glowing reports coming in from clients. 

Another exciting development for the business this year was when Edward Jacobs joined us in a sales role - albeit very part time, as he has many other commitments including teaching and as musical director for several choirs. Edward is a talented pianist and has a happy knack of sourcing the perfect piano for clients, taking into consideration their budget and preferences. Edward has already been able to grow our piano sales this year and has also helped to increase the number of pianos available for sale. We're all looking forward to working together next year and beyond. Edward currently has nearly 20 upright pianos for sale, some ready for immediate delivery, with a few one-off price deals on pianos delivered before Christmas - so if you're considering a family piano in the near future, do give him a call on 01297 552143. 

Hailun SE120 upright piano, £3,399. Brand new, soft close hinges.
Beautiful piano with a 10 year manufacturer's guarantee

Our newly augmented team gave W Young Pianos a strong presence at the Honiton Show back in August. We took our usual stand within the Blackdown Hills Business Association tent, and were delighted to see so many visitors, from long-established clients to new faces. Everyone loved the variety of pianos on show and the chance to see behind the scenes with a baby grand currently undergoing restoration.  A lot of work to move so many pianos for a one day show, but it was another successful show and we're looking forward to next year already!

The full team at Honiton Show! L to R: Tom Read,Henry Perry, Sarah Young, Edward Jacobs, Bill Young

As always, we tend to be too busy with the ever-growing business to update the blog much, but we are always delighted to hear from piano lovers anywhere! Keep in touch with us on Instagram and Facebook where you'll see the very latest news on pianos for sale, including any flash offers, and plenty more inspiring photos of the beautiful instruments we are lucky enough to work on. 

 

Another year, many more pianos...

Spring 2019 news

Somehow we're well into 2019 and this is the first blog of the year! We're delighted to say that we've never been busier and our team continues to grow.

The team expands
Our Man Friday, Mark, who helps with casework is still incredibly helpful, coming in once a week to speed up repairs and is enjoying developing his refinishing skills, as well as burnishing brassware, reassembling cases and fitting backcloths. We still undertake veneering and polishing work on other pieces of furniture - skills honed on large grand piano lids are always in demand for dining tables and so on!

Our tuner Tom Read is in great demand with private clients and venues alike; he's currently with us 1-2 days a week but is planning to increase his availability for us this summer, which is very exciting. He will shortly be taking on the dubious honour of booking in tunings, so we hope to have slightly more organised systems in place very soon! Tom is also a skilled technician so is able to undertake minor repairs on the road and advise on larger jobs. When he's not out tuning, he loves coming into the workshop for a day or two, helping Bill restore the numerous pianos always awaiting repair.

Pixie loves to help Tom sort out his tuning schedule...

Finally, (and continuing the part time, self-employed theme!), we were delighted to welcome Henry Perry to the team late last year. Henry has two degrees, including a Masters in piano performance, and is keen to learn the other side of the keyboard as a complement to his recital and teaching work. He's already enormously helpful on the technical side, and is restoring an upright piano for his own use in his spare time - finished in Farrow and Ball dark grey, which looks fabulous. The only downside is that we're all reluctant to play in front of clients now when Henry is with us! We're all far too rusty these days, so we're only too happy to let him demonstrate when clients aren't experienced pianists.

Henry and Tom are also going to help us develop a proper client database so that we're far less reliant on memory and scraps of paper - which, although a huge challenge for them, will hopefully be a great bonus to both us and our long-suffering customers!

Sales company
Although piano sales are a comparatively small part of our business, the administrative side can be tricky to manage so we've been advised to create a new company specifically for sales. This has just been done and we're awaiting new business cards and invoices for that side of things. The new company is called W Young Piano Sales Ltd and will run seamlessly alongside the current Tuning and Restoration business.

We were delighted to agree the sale of our gorgeous Bluthner grand the other week.

This restored Bluthner boudoir grand in rosewood came from the BBC's Maida Vale Studios, where it had been used for many years for recordings. It will go to a new home in the French Alps in the next few weeks.

A Canadian couple living in London have earmarked this ex-BBC beauty for their home in the French Alps, which is currently under construction. We will all be sad to see it go but it couldn't wish for a more glamorous new home!

I keep meaning to get some 'team' photos on the website and blog and hopefully this will happen soon. However, in the meantime the office is as busy and chaotic as ever. I'm hoping that Tom taking over tuning bookings will free me up for more of my own work as well as making it easier to stay on top of repair estimates and scheduling.

It's wonderful to see the sun this week and Spring finally feels as though it's here. Working from home in the glorious Devon countryside is always a huge blessing, but never more so than at this time of year!

Does your piano need help?
We'll be back soon with more news, but in the meantime if your piano needs any TLC, from a sticky note and fine tune to a full rebuild, do get in touch. Our additional pairs of hands mean that we've brought the waiting list for large repairs down from over a year to about 8 months now, and we're hoping to refine that even more. In the meantime, we can usually squeeze smaller jobs in within a month or so.

Many thanks to all our valued clients for continuing to trust us with your heirlooms - whether it's a priceless ancestral instrument or an auction bargain brought here on a cattle truck (that happens more often than you might think!), we're always delighted to help.

Spring and summer news

Somehow we're into a new season already - we're enjoying the sunshine here in Devon! No time to hit the beach just yet, though...

Our team is growing!
We're busier than ever and now have over a year's worth of large repairs on the books, which is astonishing for such a small business. We can still squeeze smaller jobs in between but a year's wait for full restorations is long enough, so to make sure we can keep up with all the work we're adding to our team.

We want to say a big thankyou to all of our clients for their patience while we try to clear the backlog of orders; some repairs and sale pianos which needed restoration after having been reserved have taken longer to complete than we'd have liked. Without exception our clients have been kind and patient and thankfully delighted with their pianos once they've made it home! We're very grateful to everyone for bearing with us while we try to increase our capacity to keep up with demand.

Our most recent Instagram post - follow us @w_y_pianos

We have a new prep and casework person helping out one day a week - he's already helping to speed up the progress of repairs through the workshop. We're hoping that in due course he'll be able to join us for more days.

Next month, we'll have help from an almost-qualified piano technician too! A mature student nearing the end of his course will be with Bill two days a week throughout the summer and hopefully beyond. His presence in the workshop should make a significant difference to waiting times for both minor repairs and larger restoration jobs and will be a great help to Bill.

Bill's trying to do as many deliveries as he can in the evenings to free up workshop time - easier with the traffic too! - and he's delighted to have a strong pair of hands to help him out now. His helper is a delivery driver by day, but enjoys the variety of piano moves one or two evenings a week. Much more helpful in keeping Bill's back injury free as he used to do the majority of moves alone!

Summer parties, weddings and festivals
Wedding season is well under way of course, and we have lots of hires booked in for summer parties and festivals too - from our Yamaha digital stage piano to the beautiful restored rosewood Bluthner grand. Bill's also in demand for playing work - in the last couple of weeks alone he's played for two events in glorious cottage gardens: a wedding in an ancient house not far from Bickleigh Castle in Tiverton, and a 50th birthday celebration and BBQ in a village closer to home. He loves being able to contribute to making these events really special and the piano is always a great talking point.

A piano with a view! Perfect for any summer occasion

Tunings - waiting time
Tunings continue to pour in from as far afield as Plymouth, Braunton in North Devon, and Beaminster in Dorset - it's taking us a month or two to fit most of them in, so please help us by looking ahead if possible! If you know your piano needs attention, get in touch sooner rather than later, especially if there's a concert or special occasion coming up.

All in all, a exceptionally busy year is showing no signs of slowing down. Hopefully the new additions to the team will enable us to keep pace with demand.

Looking for a piano?
We're struggling to keep the website fully up to date as things change so frequently - often pianos available for sale don't make it onto the website before being snapped up. If you're in the market for a piano, please do get in touch to discuss your requirements. We may well have exactly what you're looking for, and if not we can almost certainly find it for you!

Compact modern upright pianos PLUS Yamaha uprights now for sale

Hello sunshine! Summer is finally here and the workshop is beautifully cool to work in thanks to all the insulation needed to keep pianos comfortable!

As well as the usual restoration and repair work, I've managed to get a couple of small modern uprights ready for sale.

Both will be on the Pianos for Sale page on this website soon, but in the meantime they're listed on eBay - seller name is pianoredwood73 - and can also be found on my Facebook page (see Home page of website for link).

Rogers, small modern upright piano in light oak case. Refurnished throughout and case has been stripped and refinished. 

£750 including delivery and tuning in Devon/Somerset. Further afield just ask for a delivery quotation. 

This is a school model with safety casters which are super easy to manoeuvre and a robust lock on the fall (keyboard cover). Perfect for school, village hall, choir, pub or home use. Ideal for beginners right through to later grades. 

Eavestaff, small modern upright piano in teak case. Refurbished throughout and case has been stripped and refinished.

£950 including delivery and tuning in Devon/Somerset. Further afield just ask for a delivery quotation. Perfect for home or studio use and as above, this piano is also ideal for beginners through to later grades. 

YAMAHA

We are also very excited to now be stocking top quality secondhand refurbished Japanese pianos including Yamaha and Kawai. These are stunning instruments, always in bright (shiny) black finish, and excellent for pianists of any standard; also extremely popular for their attractive appearance which looks perfect in contemporary homes. They range from £2,500-£3,500 depending on age and amount of refurbishment work done. Again, more details on Facebook and eBay or give us a call on 07881 644911 to discuss your requirements. These pianos are superb value for money - they're often in mint condition, indistinguishable from new, yet to buy a new piano of the same model would be thousands more. They give many years of uncomplicated service to pianists of all standards through to professionals and teachers - no wonder they're so popular!

We have had an excellent working relationship with one of the largest importers of these pianos in the country for over 20 years and are lucky enough to be able to choose each of our Japanese pianos from an enormous number in their warehouse. We frequently choose pianos according to clients' specific requirements; there's no obligation but we pride ourselves on finding the right one for you!

Image credit: Venetia Norrington

In other news, our hire pianos continue to grace weddings, parties, festivals and all kinds of events. Our beautiful rosewood grand piano recently paid a visit to the stunning Deer Park Hotel near Honiton for a classical recital - doesn't it look incredible in that amazing space?!

WATCH THIS SPACE!

We are in the process of updating our Pianos for Sale page on this website - other pianos will be coming soon. In the meantime, please keep an eye on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WYPianos/

Do check back soon for more news from the piano workshop. Enjoy the summer sunshine! 

Another year older...

Another busy year has gone, and I'm still bad at updating this blog! I do, however, now have pages on Facebook for both my business and for my piano duo, the Pianoraks. Click through to my Tuning and Restoration page here. I'm also still part of the Sharp Tones 1950s rock n roll/rhythm and blues band; we pick and choose the gigs these days as we're all so busy, but they're always great fun.

The main news this year is that my pianos have an amazing new home. I rebuilt an outbuilding to upgrade the insulation (pianos are fussy - my wife regularly points out that the pianos are warmer than people round here) and it's brilliant to have somewhere I can put most of my many grands on their feet! It also meant that we could reclaim our music room from the 9 (!) grand pianos that were stored on their sides in there for ages, so redecorating that room was a priority later in 2016.

Boiler suit, model's own

I reused old wooden cladding for the internal walls as I have an aversion to plasterboard in spaces like this. The industrial style lights were sourced on eBay and I also reused the original rusty tins on the outside - it's just warmer in there now! There's no water in the building though, so I still make regular trips back to the house for tea breaks or the family would never see me! I kept some space at the rear of the shed for the sheep, so they've still got somewhere to retreat from the worst of the winter weather.

The Pianoraks have an inspiring space to practise! Check out our FB page for more details. 

The antique Pianofortes sign is my new pride and joy - it was a present from my wife, who spotted it on eBay late one night. The hand carved wooden sign came from a piano shop in Putney High Street and dates from the 1880s. This was an incredible find and graced our stand at the Honiton Show last August to great admiration!






Our friend Sacha of Gonzofotography & Styling in Taunton visited when the shed was first upgraded and worked her magic on some incredible images including this one of my long-desired Steinway Model O grand piano. It's one of several pianos for sale on my website; customers love being able to commission the level of restoration on their chosen piano. There's always got a selection on my Sale page to choose from, most of which are works in progress. Check out more of Gonzo's stunning imagery on Facebook.

Copyright: Gonzofotography & Styling, Taunton

In other news from 2016, I've enjoyed working on numerous jobs for clients, from a fabulous old ship's piano bequeathed by a retired Admiral to his local church, to enormous antique dining tables which had seen one too many parties.

This Bluthner rosewood grand was at BBC Maida Vale Studios for years

Video of ex-BBC Bluthner grand

Another amazing addition to my current stock list is a Bluthner grand piano which came from the BBC Maida Vale Studios before being purchased by a client of mine. This piano was apparently chosen by many famous performers over two Steinways for recording, and I can see why - it's an incredible instrument to play, made all the more special by the knowledge of how many famous people have played it over the last hundred or so years. It's now ready for the next century of service and it's not only an excellent instrument but a stunning piece of furniture - the rosewood case is glorious and I only wish I could afford to keep it at home!

We took the girls to London last summer for our first family visit. We had a fabulous time - walked miles, saw Matilda the musical which was the highlight for them, but one of my favourite days was our visit to the V&A museum. The antique pianos on display are truly spectacular examples of craftsmanship and I'd love to go back again soon.

Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Victoria & Albert Museum, London

There are lots of photos on this website and my Facebook page of recent projects, but here are a few of my favourites:

Ship's piano before

Ship's piano after restoration

Ship's piano - the keyboard folds up to save space on board

Ship's piano - what a contrast!

This original door on an Elizabethan manor house needed careful repair

New feet and full repolish - this elm console is unrecognisable from when it first came in

Family heirloom: antique chest of drawers

Repaired and repolished

Now back in pride of place in the owners' home

 

Beautiful but battered!

Unplayable and tired

 

The silk fabric behind the fretwork panel was matched to the original

Now a working antique which shows off the original craftsmanship

Dining tables are regular visitors to the workshop - many restorers are unable to achieve a good finish on
such a large surface, but grand pianos provided the best experience for me! 

No doubt my next blog will be a while, but do keep in touch on Facebook or in person. Fingers crossed that Spring is just around the corner.

Bill

February News from the Workshop

COMING SOON FOR SALE: Yamaha U1 upright piano. Secondhand top quality piano, excellent for students through to professional level.

The last few months have been extremely busy, with a great many fine pianos coming through the workshop. At the moment I'm restringing a beautiful 1881 John Broadwood grand for an internationally renowned professional musician. Photos will follow soon. I also have a 20 year old Yamaha grand which has sadly been damaged in a house fire coming in this week.

As well as my piano work, I am regularly asked to restore and French polish other pieces of furniture. Recent commissions include a coffee table, music cabinet, chest of drawers, Pembroke table and a large four leaf dining table. I'm also quoting this week for the restoration and reupholstery of a set of 6 antique dining chairs.

Another recent project was the restoration of a very large antique mirror which had fallen off a wall and smashed; the frame needed fixing and regilding and the glass had to be replaced. It's now back in place with much stronger fixings!

The sideboard it fell onto has also been through the workshop and is looking beautiful once more.

Apologies for the delay in posting this update, but here are a few photos of recent pianos to leave the workshop, as well as the current instrument undergoing restoration:



Schimmel baby grand. Currently undergoing restoration.

This 1930 Schimmel baby grand has a warm but powerful sound. Please get in touch for more details or to try this piano.


Gors & Kallmann baby grand after restoration

Bansall baby grand after restoration

Schiedmayer boudoir grand after restoration



Schiedmayer boudoir grand after restoration

Honiton Show success plus bargain Bechstein grand for sale

The summer holidays seem to have flown by as always, but the main event for us was the Honiton Show on 7 August. We've always enjoyed visiting and have often considered taking a pitch in the Blackdown Hills Business Association's tent so this year we took the plunge!

The logistics of getting everything into the marquee - two grand pianos, one upright, several stools and tool cases, posters etc and a plywood floor so that the pianos didn't get stuck in the field - were a challenge, but we were delighted with the stand! We were especially thrilled to receive a rosette for first place as the best stand in the Blackdown Hill marquee - particularly as we'd had no idea there was even a competition!

It was great to meet so many clients, past, present and future at the Show. Bill had a long but enjoyable day talking pianos to numerous visitors and filled his order book with requests for tunings, repairs and restoration work, from pianos to dining tables. Daisy and Willow were among the many admirers of the stand (see below)!

The upright piano and almost all of the stools we took with us were sold at the Show - we even managed to deliver the piano to the customers in Luppitt on the way back from the showground! Numerous people expressed an interest in the period grand pianos on the stand, with one lady in particular enquiring as to the chances of getting the beautiful rosewood Schiedmayer grand to her house in France!

The W Young Pianos stand with first prize rosette proudly displayed

Overall we were thrilled with how successful the show was and will certainly be exhibiting next year.

In other news, Bill has been trying to get ahead with the many piano repairs on his books through the summer while still spending the odd day with the girls while they're off school. We also took part in a show for the BBC which entailed four long days filming both here and in Kent. Can't disclose too much at this stage but when we have a date for Bill's TV debut playing the beautiful Bechstein grand currently in our music room, (see below) we'll let you know!

LATEST BARGAIN FOR SALE

Bechstein grand - superb quality and a rich tone for only £1950

This stunning Edwardian (c 1900) Bechstein 6' grand is currently in our music room. Having been restrung roughly 10 years ago, before it came to Bill, it's not really a candidate for his usual comprehensive restoration, so is able to be sold extremely cheaply. Bill has given it a thorough check over, clean, tune and polish. There are a few knocks on the case which he's disguised to some degree but are visible on the right of the photo; he's also undertaken some regulation work to improve what used to be a rather rattly action. This piano now plays beautifully, with its deep rich bass tone proving a great draw for every musician who has visited us in recent weeks. This fabulous instrument is just £1950 delivered (locally - further afield by arrangement at additional cost) and tuned. If you or a church, school, friend or neighbour you know is looking for an excellent piano by one of the foremost German manufacturers, call Bill now on 01823 681605 to arrange to view and play this stunning instrument.

More pianos for sale will follow but as always please feel free to call with any queries. Thanks.

A superb instrument and striking piece of furniture, this Bechstein boudoir grand is just £1950

Summer update - travelling piano tunings, advice and more

Can't quite believe it's summer and has been so long since my last update! Apologies - the running of the businesses here tend to take precedent over communications sometimes!

We're enjoying the light evenings and Bill has lots of tuning appointments - lately he's found there's a high demand from areas as far afield as Wiltshire, Hampshire and Surrey, so he's beginning to arrange visits to these areas in blocks of 1 or 2 days at a time. If you're not local but would like to be added to his 'long distance' tuning list, then please feel free to get in touch: wypianos@gmail.com

As well as several piano repairs for private and trade clients, Bill has been undertaking quite a bit of French polishing and restoration on other pieces. Most recently, a large mahogany dining table and a beautiful antique sideboard.

We've also noticed that a considerable number of enquiries are coming in relating to the purchase of second hand pianos privately - often from an online auction or networking site. While there are bargains to be had, this can be a minefield for the unwary; plenty of these pianos are barely in working order and may require extensive and costly work to render them suitable for continued use.

This kind of small modern upright piano is frequently found for sale and can be perfect for many modern homes

Most of us wouldn't dream of buying a secondhand car privately without having an expert, whether a local mechanic or a motoring body, to check it over for us first. Pianos are no different! If you're thinking of buying an instrument from any private source, however reputable, why not ask Bill to take a look and report back to you first? Private sellers are rarely aware of any internal issues with pianos as long as all the notes play, so very often problems can arise from lack of specialist knowledge once the piano has been purchased and transported to its new home. Even a basic student piano can be a big investment, so it's well worth having someone with Bill's encyclopaedic knowledge of pianos and their parts on your side.

Prices start at £50 for local visits - further afield, he may well be able to tie in with other appointments in the area to keep additional costs to a minimum.

Another service Bill offers is the sourcing of appropriate pianos for private clients. There is a regular specialist piano auction in London and he is always happy to attend on behalf of, or alongside, clients to provide an expert eye in what can be a challenging environment. Equally, with contacts throughout the UK in the piano industry, if you can't find what you're looking for, get in touch - Bill may well be aware of your perfect piano for sale through one of his contacts.

Finally, anyone considering a holiday in the West Country, please do have a look at our website for Luggs Barn - www.luggsbarn.co.uk We have some great offers on last minute breaks in June and still some availability later in the summer.

Luggs Barn sleeps 8 (+cots) in comfort, with glorious views, stylish accommodation and a huge private garden.
The ideal base for a get together with friends or family and from which to explore the numerous coastal
and countryside attractions Devon has to offer