This stunning instrument from a golden age of piano-building belonged to the late Thomas Wikman,* who founded Chicago’s Music of the Baroque ensemble and led it for its first 30 years. Like so many musicians, Tom valued pianos of this vintage much more highly than more recently made pianos, and he personally considered Masons of that era to be far superior to Steinways. (In 1907, Mason & Hamlin was the world’s most expensive piano.)

To find such an instrument and restore it to its former glory, Wikman commissioned master craftsman William Schneider. “He’s a maniac,” Tom said admiringly, as he saw Schneider send back two sets of hammers because they didn’t meet his standards.

The restoration was exhaustive: Schneider made a new soundboard, replicating the original dimensions within a few thousandths of an inch. He replaced the bridge caps, hammers, shanks, dampers, pinblock, strings and more.

The new ebony satin finish comprises 14 coats of hand-rubbed lacquer. The new natural keytops are of polished bone.

The restored instrument has been kept in a private, climate-controlled environment since its restoration. Its purchaser will acquire a true heirloom, as Mason & Hamlins are known for their incredible longevity.

Not long after Wikman took delivery of this piano in the early 1990s, he invited Garrick Ohlsson over to see it. Ohlsson, in Chicago to perform with Wikman’s ensemble, played the Mason for hours. He wanted one just like it for himself. Tom introduced him to Schneider, and Ohlsson immediately commissioned Schneider to select and restore a similar Mason & Hamlin concert grand.

Schneider found an unrestored Mason from 1919 and went to work on it. “My goal,” he said, “was to make Garrick's piano a clone of Tom’s." 

Ohlsson made many recordings on the “clone.” Reviewing one of these, Jed Distler said the piano’s sound “made me sit up and take notice. The instrument turns out to be a 1917 [sic] Mason & Hamlin concert grand. Is it for sale?” *

See below* to be directed to a two-minute recording of Ohlsson talking about his own Mason commission.

See below* to be directed to recording of Ohlsson’s Complete Chopin Etudes on the “clone.”

From a review of Beethoven Sonatas recorded on the same instrument:
“The first thing you notice is the piano’s aromatic timbre, intimate ‘ping’, and a veiled, disembodied sonority whenever the una corda pedal kicks in. It turns out that the instrument is a rebuilt Mason and Hamlin grand, and Garrick Ohlsson obviously loves it as much as he adores Beethoven’s Op. 22 sonata.*

* To read the cited reviews / hear the recordings, use the URLs indicated below, substituting a period for DOT:

1) Thomas Wikman obituary
baroque DOT org/Wikman

2) Review by Jed Distler
ClassicsToday DOT com/review-12685

3) Ohlsson interviewed by E. Johnson.
SoundCloud DOT com/EJohnson/sets/interviews
Go to Track 2.

4) Recording by Ohlsson
No easy URL. Instead, go to Apple Music Classical and type Chopin 12 into the search bar. Second item that pops up is Ohlsson’s 12 Etudes, Op. 10

5) Review of Beethoven sonata recording
ClassicsToday DOT com/review-10034