Official Luthiers Forum!

Has anyone investigated recycling soundboards from old pianos for guitar tops?

I see that Steinway currently uses Sitka spruce for their soundboards but did any piano makers use Adirondack spruce?

There are a lot of old pianos out there being given away or sent to the dump.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Kevin,

Yes people have investigated the possibillity and all have come to the conclusion that about all you can get from an old piano is some bracing stock.

Steve

Typically it's narrow stock, about 4" and 3/8" thick and obviously with no regard for bookmatch or visual quality: it is hidden after all.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Well, not ALL have come to that conclusion. My first two guitars had the entire top and the bracing made using a recycled piano soundboard.

I will say that it's probably not worth the effort, unless you're doing it for sentimental reasons (My grandfather who passed away a few years a ago received a baby grand piano for his 12th birthday. My aunt owns the piano now, but if it ever has to be scrapped, I'm getting the soundboard. ) or for the satisfaction of giving new life to an old instrument. Or you have a lot more time than money.


Number 1:









Number 2:

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Regards,
Phillip Patton

http://www.pattonblades.com

The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price has faded.

https://hoosierbladesmith.wordpress.com

I was really hot on the idea of building instruments from old pianos. You can get them free all day long on craigs list here in the bay area. I went over to a guys place that has been wrecking pianos for years. He used the legs and lids to make other projects. This visit cured me completely of any desire to do this. There were massive amounts of unusable piano parts everywhere. They were dirty, dusty and covered with lead containing finish. The guy was every bit as dirty as piano parts. I quickly came to the conclusion that the several hundreds of dollars in effort to get even a free piano is not even close to worth it. If they weren't 99 percent veneer they would be a gold mine. There are exceptions. I have seen solid walnut uprights and during the 40s some of the harps were made of aluminum which you could get a few bucks for.

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http://goatrockukulele.com

Philip, is that osage? Looks nice! Oak neck?

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Build log

Yep, osage back and sides on both, oak neck on number one, and curly maple neck on number two.

Nowadays I usually use mahogany for necks. Lot's lighter, and so much easier to work with.

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Regards,
Phillip Patton

http://www.pattonblades.com

The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price has faded.

https://hoosierbladesmith.wordpress.com

I have dismantled four or five pianos. I have used the soundboard braces for guitar braces, and have made a couple of multi-piece guitar tops. One London-made piano had spruce support posts that I resawed and made a six-piece bookmatched top. I imagine that was Euro spruce.

I believe most of the older American pianos have white spruce or red spruce soundboards, and I suspect the switch to Sitka was phased in between 1920 and 1940.
However, by far my best use of old pianos has been the hard maple pin plank, which I resaw and use for bridgeplates. I have found it to be as good or better than Timeless Timber.
Removing all the tuning pins can be a job, especially if you don't make use of a variable speed drill.

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John