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Rich Lipp pianos are actually incredibly well made and designed. Their uprights were *extremely* good instruments and when properly restored they have a very sweet sound with a beautiful sustain. The scale design on these pianos is excellent, and they do sound like grands. The actions can be absolutely beautiful when restored well, and in the case of Lipp pianos with original actions, if the piano isn't going to be used for serious heavy practice but is for enjoyment then I do think restoring the original is a good option to take. But I appreciate, this forum is American, and I'm European, and in Europe we tend to preserve and conserve more than replace when it comes to piano restoration. So, yes, you have an excellent piano which is potentially beautiful and valuable.

Your piano is also 125 years old, and that's where the problems arise. Can you get this piano to sound fairly good with minimal work? Possibly. It might need new hammers, but new hammers hitting the old strings will likely lead to string breakage fairly quickly, so you can see the can of worms starting to open up... if you change the strings you need to check the bridges and possibly have them re-pinned or recapped or replaced, and we don't know if the soundboard can be revived (if it has a problem). Worst case scenario the cost of rebuilding this piano will be about the same as buying a new one, but LIPP is a good piano.

For those not in the know, Rich. Lipp uprights are said to be in the same league as the Bechstein Concert 8, although Lipp ceased manufacturing in the 20th Century. I know someone in England who gets very excited over Lipp instruments and knows how to conserve them very well.

+1

Yes and no. YMMV.

Thank you very much everyone. I have set an appt to have a piano technician give me an evaluation. Your remarks have given me a better understanding and that is the reason why I posted the question. My knowledge on this piano is what I read on Google and I am excited to hear what the technician has to say. Over the phone, he said could be soundboard, hammers or strings because of the way I described the sound to him, he said possibly the dynamic range is lost due to age of the piano etc.

The ?technician who sold me the piano might not know much about the piano, my sense is she takes home free pianos, do some basic tuning and sells them. She came back twice and told me the piano sounds great and holds the tune well. I hope she is right.

Thanks again and I enjoy reading all your comments and learn lots from this forum.

Let us know how it goes. I shall hope that the technician gives an encouraging report.

This description sounds very much like the soundboard rim joint is compromised, and/or has loose ribs or bridge.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

I will keep you all updated. Wish there is an easier way to upload pictures.
Peter, what you described was what the technician explained to me, that the soundboard has lost it's crown or something like that. Are those simple or major work to repair, what you described?

It’s not terribly hard but it is confusing the first time.

Just post something in the photo gallery and link a file then right click on the photo and press copy. (I think)

Use full editor and put an image BUT sometimes it puts 2 https: so get rid of one to make it work
At least that’s what it does for me.

I would yes especially from reading what Joe had to say.It depends how much restoration you need though.Other things come to mind as well.What are your needs from the piano? I read about it on the tech forum and I thought you said has been painted? Is it still attractive to look at? The cosmetic side is important as well.
I have a piano from the 20's as well.It has been restored but still has its original soundboard.It has a lovely treble, tenor and most of the bass notes still sound really good as well. It holds its tuning well
It was restored before I bought it.Still I worry about its action or that something part may break.For this reason I have another newer upright.Most of my practice is done on that one for that reason.Still I love to play the old Feurich.The action works fairly well, but of course not like the newer Schimmel.Its not a great beauty to look at but looks intriguing like many old pianos do.I would definitely keep this piano if I were you! It ie a treasure.

Restore as much as good technician suggests.Make sure you find someone who is experienced in doing this work.There will always be someone who will buy it if you need to sell it.It needs to look reasonably attractive as well.There are those like myself who love old pianos.(you may never retrieve all the money you spend on it, still even with newer pianos that very seldom happens)

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I have a Chickering 93 (6'-5" grand from 1884) that's been completely rebuilt by a previous owner. New soundboard, pin block, etc. Sounds wonderful and is a joy to own.

First, I will wait for the evaluation by the piano technician. Once established as a keeper repainting will be on the list of things to do and that is cosmetic. Currently, the repainting job was horribly done. Wish it was left as it is. I don't quite understand why someone would do that, obviously they don't care for the piano. I am getting more hopeful and looking forward to get some work done on it as recommended. At this point, I only have questions, so I will wait for the pro to tell me more about the restoration, rebuild, refurbish, etc etc etc, so many terms:)

The answer is (as is so often the case) "it depends". Depends on just what has failed, depends on how much, depends on where the problem area(s) located, etc.

Everything CAN be repaired. However it is more problematic if done in a strung state. Access to areas can be very tricky, especially if it's a rim issue. If you really love this thing it is best to dismantle it completely so as to gain access to all that is needed. If you want the repairs done in situ the craftsperson will need to be very "crafty" in figuring out how to draw everything back together for a satisfactory result. I have had to dream up some pretty unique arrangements to fix stuff in uprights.

Requires a very well equipped shop and brain. Looking forward to the assessment.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

Refinishing the piano to a good standard will cost several thousand dollars at a minimum. I don't think it can be done in your home so there will be an additional cost to transport the piano to the refinisher and back to your home. Of course, if you just want to paint the piano, you can probably do that yourself.

But besides that I think it is a big mistake to have more than some minimal work done on the piano because there is no guarantee you will like the sound or touch after that work is done. That's true even if you have it completely rebuilt which would be prohibitively expensive.

Here is a well restored Richard Lipp from circa1900.

Does anyone know the name of that piece?

Tre Corda
Beautiful piano!
Hey Linc
Is it possible for you to restore the original finish??? Just checking

Dogperson, I do not have a clue if it can be done. Right now it is looking like glossy black after buckets of paint were poured over it. I was able to upload pictures but no Submit button to click. Sorry no picture to show. I have an appt with a very accomplished piano technician early May and he will tell me more.

It's not possible to repair the original finish once it has been painted over, but it *is* possible to have it restored to something closer to its original finish.

What happens in cases like this is that a thinner is applied over the paint to break it all down, and then it can be scraped off without damaging the wood veneer underneath. At that point the wood will be comprehensively cleaned to see what is what. If the finish is deemed good, then it will be possible to re-polish the case in a way that shows off the color and grain of the wood. You could choose a clear polyester finish, a satin spray finish, or if you're really wanting to push the boat out, you could have new French polish applied. The satin spray finish is durable, looks great, it has just enough gloss in it to be slightly reflective, and it looks in keeping with the style of the instrument. It is easier to apply than a poly finish, and therefore it can be a bit cheaper.

French polish is of course the most authentic, and it looks beautiful. The problem with it is that it's so expensive to do properly, and is maybe not as durable as the satin spray. In my opinion it looks much better than the satin spray, although the satin spray also looks beautiful. The amount that it costs to French polish the piano may end up costing you as much as the internal restoration again but there are some places that specialize in French polishing pianos and so its worth shopping around.


The Polyester finish is, in my opinion, a rather cheap option and can look pretty tacky. It has to be done EXTREMELY well, and most Poly spray finishes just don't look good on vintage instruments. They don't even look good on reproduction instruments, for example when Steinway or Bluthner release a rosewood instrument with turned legs and a fancy desk in the 1900s style, the poly finish spoils it for me. The satin spray would be far, far more beautiful in those situations. Modern pianos look good with polyester, but they're a completely different style.

The piece is one of Mendelssohn's Songs without Words called Duetto played quite horribly with completely distorted rhythm. Here's how it's supposed to sound:

Too bad! He must have learnt it a long time ago when he was a child so he's now no doubt relearnt it as an adult, changed the RH accompaniment from even notes to his own arrangement. Still the melody comes through warmly and singing beautifully all the way.It would be easy to play wonderfully at that wonderful Richard Lipp piano.He has forgotten Mendelssohn and no doubt what his teacher taught him but he playing the melody wonderfully.He's not aiming to be a concert pianist.So I still love his performance.He has made the piece his own.Life's too short anyway.Happy Easter everyone.