Gene Korolev, owner and founder of Piano Solutions XXI is quite simply, a master at the art & craft…read moreof Steinway piano restoration.
We were referred to Gene to see if we could consider the expense of restoring my Grandmother's 1920 Steinway Medium Grand (M). The piano had been the one my father and his brother grew up playing, and his brother and wife inherited the piano when Grandma passed about 20 years ago. Although it needed some work, it was always such a joy for my wife and daughter to play the Steinway when we visited our uncle & aunt's home outside of San Francisco when we would visit for Thanksgiving or during the couple years we lived up in the East Bay.
When my Aunt passed away last year we found out that she had willed the piano to our family because my wife and daughter are the only serious piano players in the next generation of grandkids & great grandkids.
What an honor, we felt, inheriting this family heirloom. But with that honor came the sobering realization that a 90 year old piano, even one as amazing as this Steinway, needs real restoration. A restorer in the Bay Area estimated that it would take over $15,000 to fully refurbish the piano.
We really didn't have that kind of cash sitting around, but we figured we should see what was possible. We remembered that we had been referred to someone named Gene who knew about buying good quality "previously owned" pianos, when we were searching for our first upright. He had been kind enough, over the phone, to refer us to a Japanese woman who imports used Yamahas from Japan and we got an amazing deal on a larger Yamaha U-3 which is what we have had for the past 5 years or so. My wife remembered this "Gene" was something of a Steinway specialist, but had misplaced his number and forgotten his last name. Somehow (was it good karma?) during these few weeks, we ran into my daughter's first piano teacher, the one who had referred us to Gene. She kindly gave us Gene's contact info again and we couldn't be more delighted.
Gene had not seen our Steinway, but confirmed it's pedigree from the serial number and other information we provided. He was so passionate about the value of the restoration work he would do for us and the tangible and intangible benefits of our owning (and being able to play) a fully restored Steinway that had been in our family for 90 years. After a couple of conversations with Gene, there was no question that we would find a way to afford the restoration.
We had the piano shipped down by Gene's specialty piano movers to his North Hollywood atelier, then met him there a few days later to walk through the process, timetable and confirm the price, etc. Gene clearly showed us how the piano case had been "refinished" in this unnatural lighter brown, probably in the 1950s, when that was the style, but he showed us the remnants of the original darker color inside the case. We absolutely determined to restore not only all the insides, but also restore the color to a classic, dark rosewood finish.
Gene explained and showed us the quality of the German parts he would use in the restoration, helping us to understand how and why Steinway has the reputation it still has today and how our restored Steinway would outlive all of us, including our 10 year old daughter. He showed us his custom drilling equipment and other tools of the trade, his one of a kind, Harley Davidson inspired restored Steinway and his plans for his latest chef d'ouevre his __________ (fashion icon whose name will remain confidential) inspired custom Steinway. Gene is one of a kind. He's a master craftsman, but he's also an artist. I can't imagine many other piano restorers creating these one of a kind masterpiece custom versions of a Steinway.
Gene began his career in St. Petersburg, apprenticed to some of the world's top piano restorers. Suffice it to say that his love for music & Steinway pianos as instruments and works of art, his unrivaled 40 years of refining his craft, his artistry, attention to detail, uncompromising eye and ear and his technical prowess, make him, in our mind, the BEST person to restore your Steinway.
We came back to his studio a couple of other times during the process, marveling at his work and passion each time. Our finished, fully restored from the inside out, Steinway, is like a work of art. Every internal part from the strings to the whippens, hammers, shanks and dampers - some 10,000 pieces were replaced. Gene even added a custom Steinway stencil to the soundboard. The case was refinished by master specialists referred by Gene and has a gorgeous, rich, dark rosewood hue. Best of all, the piano sounds exquisite.
And Gene performed all of his work for substantially less than we had expected given the initial estimates of the restorer from the Bay Area. Gene is a master and one of a kind. You owe it to yourselves to seriously consider him if you are having your Steinway restored.
