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About Grand American Piano Clint Hughes, owner Every time I’m in a group of people, the inevitable question of “What do you do?” comes up. When I say I’m a piano rebuilder, their eyebrows go wild! Some up with enthusiasm and some down with bewilderment. But of all the professions I’ve had in my life, piano restoration is by far the most satisfying. To see a hundred-year-old piano go from its tired, aged condition to something that looks and sounds better than new is exciting, to say the least. I started in the piano business in sales. For a few years, I sold new pianos. It was very simple; if the customer’s budget was less than $10,000, I’d show them a Korean piano. If it was $10,000 to $20,000, I’d show them a Japanese piano. If it was over $20,000, I’d show them a hand-built piano. I think management got frustrated with me because of my lack of enthusiasm for the “entry level” pianos. I had a hard time telling customers that a mass-produced Asian piano was “high quality.” Occasionally, (and I mean very occasionally) the store would restore a trade-in -- a Steinway and Mason & Hamlin here, a Sohmer and Knabe there -- and they were by far the easiest pianos to sell. Not only did they sound, play and look better than the new pianos, THEY WERE THE SAME PRICE OR LESS than the production-line pianos! My respect for the rebuilt piano grew. After awhile, I knew I had to change my focus. Selling pianos made of particle board was not the life for me. I spent the next several years learning the art of piano restoration. Now, I couldn’t be happier with my profession. I get the joy of bringing high-quality pianos back to life and the customer gets to save literally thousands of dollars from the price of a new, cheaply-made import. To make a living doing something you love is a blessing beyond words. See American Pianos for more information
About Clint Hughes I was born in West Chicago and lived there for a couple of years before my family decided to try a few different places in Michigan. I was about eight years old when we finally settled in a small Indian town that my mom’s family had lived in since before Columbus: Cross Village. There is a lot of history in that little town. The Indians called it Waganakising, or “Crooked Tree.” Back before Columbus, the three tribes in Michigan -- Ottawa, Chippewa,and Potamatomie -- would meet every so often for a great council. There was a huge, crooked tree on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan that they would use as a guide when traveling to the council. Stories of canoes as far as the eye could see down the coast of Lake Michigan are legend. My mom is “F.B.I.” (full-blooded Indian), and one of my most vivid memories as a child was listening to her and Nokomis (Grandmother) speak Anishnabemowin, the native tongue. French traders were the first to settle the area and kept the original name, calling it La Abre Croche, but when the Jesuits came in the 17th century, they erected a huge cross on the bluff and that’s where the name Cross Village came from. To this day, there are only a couple hundred people living there. I remember, as a teenager, the big news was that we got a stop sign in the middle of town. Although neither of my parents played musical instruments, they had a high view of music and wanted me to learn. Around age 11, they got me involved with accordion lessons. At the time, I didn’t appreciate it, (accordion isn’t exactly the coolest instrument to play in grade school), but those lessons laid the foundation for my musical education (and I can still pull out a decent polka to this day). I excelled in band through high school under the patient instruction of my music teacher, Mr. Gazley (I’ll never forget Gaz). I picked up the clarinet, then learned the guitar. After high school, I moved to California to attend Musicians Institute and the Guitar Institute of Technology. Although my mind was full of grandiose ideas of changing the world with my music, my head and heart were overtaken by an even greater force; my stomach! I needed work! I drew upon the only skills I had at the time and worked at various guitar shops. While working at Guitar Center in Hollywood, I was eating lunch at The Sunset Grill (yes, the Sunset Grill) and happened to look down Sunset Boulevard at a piano store called Strings, Etc. On a whim, I walked down and asked the owner, Bob Auletta, if he was hiring. Well, he was, and that was the start of a long employment and friendship. I was introduced to the fascinating world of pianos through Bob and began learning to play in my spare time. He also introduced me to Beethoven and in my spare time I taught myself parts of the "Appassionata" and "Waltstein" sonatas. While honing my skills on the different pianos in the store, I noticed that the restored pianos had the best tone, the best feel and a lot more visual appeal. I began to build an affinity for the old pianos and preferred them to the new. Shortly after starting at the store, I hired a German tuner/technician named Daniel Ene. He had tuned pianos in Europe for a number of years before immigrating to The States. I would watch, fascinated, as Daniel restrung pianos, hung hammers, glued damper felts, etc. He was always gracious enough not only to let me watch, but to show me his “trade secrets.” I don’t know if it is because of my Indian blood, but I’ve always felt most at-home working with my hands and seeing the fruits of my labor. I came to realize that piano restoration was what I needed to do. Well, it’s many years later, now. Bob has a very successful piano outlet in Oxnard, CA, Daniel is booked weeks in advance for his tunings, and, Lord willing, I’ll be restoring pianos for many years to come. I owe a great deal to Bob and Daniel for my formative years in the piano business. I feel that restored pianos are the best-kept secret in the piano world. There is a positive and a negative aspect to that. The negative is: many, many people are denied the privilege of a fully-restored piano by unscrupulous dealers who keep the truth from them. The positive is: if everybody knew the secret that restored pianos sound better, look better and feel better, then everybody would be rebuilders and I might be out of a job! Piano restoration is such a great endeavor, there is nothing else I could or would want to do. I can’t wait to get back to work each and every day, and I hope all my customers benefit from my enthusiasm for grand American pianos. Please see Testimonials and American Pianos to find out more.
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from Restored Piano Owners] Owned and operated in Moorpark, CA. ©2004, Grand American Piano. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced in whole or in part without express permission from Grand American Piano. Revised May 2008
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