Mollberg Piano Restoration

04/28/2024

Austin Friends of Traditional Music is now 50 years old!

As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Austin Friends of Traditional Music, Reel Times editor Gary Mortensen talks to the founders of our organiz...

10/23/2021

This picture is of me drilling tuning pin holes in (what is likely) the last pinblock of my career. I am in my 42nd year of running a piano restoration business. I have been turning away new work since March of this year. Usually with the recommendation to those seeking high quality restoration services be in touch with Jim Watson. So I will be technically "retired" by the end of this year. My gratitude is deep for being able to spend my work life creating beautiful instruments that bring joy to their owners. I have avoided intitutional employment for my whole adult life. What could be better than that?

07/04/2020

A Surprising Trend.....

With their showrooms closed this spring, instrument dealers around the country report surprise at the robust numbers.

05/22/2020

A cartoonist is humbled by the brain power (and finger strength!) needed to play Chopin and Tchaikovsky.

01/29/2020

Interesting article about piano hammer felt- if you are interested in that sort of thing!

Believe it or not, piano hammers are really varied. They might look the same but really they’re not. Here are some of the variables that make piano hammers so different: the felt quality, the wooden moulding, the manufacturing process, shaping and voicing. And the subtleties in each of those categ...

01/16/2020

One can't be too careful....

Yamaha Corporation, has warned people not to try and squeeze inside musical inst...

11/06/2019

"The planet does not need more "successful people." The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds." - Dalai Lama

09/21/2019

Here is a great interview with my friend and colleague Charles Ball who is just completing his 40th year as head piano technician at the Butler School of Music. I met Charles within the first few years he was at UT, through the Piano Technicians Guild. As a fledgeling piano restorer, collaborating with Charles was a huge catalyst for my development in this field. We began doing contract piano rebuilding for UT in 1985. Charles saw caring for a large fleet of excellent pianos as a laboratory- learning what materials and techniques hold up and prosper over time. I am among scores of piano technicians and musicians to benefit from his generosity and commitment to excellence.

Magazine of the Butler School of Music. We publish Words of Note for our community of scholars, alumni and friends.