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chrisw

Just listened to this lovely programme. Thank you for sharing it. I am going to pass it onto our piano group.
Chris

chrisw

I believe Marcus Roberts of Roberts Pianos Oxford reckons 80 hours to re-French polish a grand piano. You will have to guess the hourly rate but don't forget to add a piano dealer's uplift (30% perhaps) for organising the job.

chrisw

Room temperature seems a little high.Perhaps it was a very warm day or is it due to studio equipment. Lowering the temperature to 20degC, if possible, would increase humidity.

chrisw

It is usually on the horizontal part of the frame that covers the wrest plank, in other words near the tuning pins. You would have seen it if it were there. Are there any numbers stamped into the beams underneath the soundboard? In 1920 Rogers numbers had reached 30,000 and in 1930 40500.

chrisw

Gorgeous case. The number isn't the piano's serial number. If it were the piano would have been made before 1873 which clearly it was not.

chrisw

Hello Mark, welcome. Are you referring to the F and C sharps? The sharps signs are unnecessary because of the key signature. They are there just as a reminder, some people call them courtesy accidentals.

chrisw

I had a conversation with my tuner a few weeks ago about the repair of loose capstans and superglue was mentioned when the problem is caused by the hole in a wooden capstan expanding. These Kawai capstans seem to be made of a 'plastic' material so is superglue still appropriate? Are replacement caps...

chrisw

Could it be an Oxford 15 ? My Kemble catalogue from about year 2000 doesn't include an Oxford 15, only the Cambridge 15 which is listed at height 115, depth 58, width 150cm. I wonder if the larger width was caused by a small design change due to move over to Yamaha parts (eg the frame) at the date o...

chrisw

London piano maker from 2, Stanhope Street, Euston Road. Their serial number 23000 is dated 1912 and therfore your piano is about 112 years old. If it can be tuned and then holds tune it could be a reasonable piano but may need some maintence such as the hammers refacing. Suggest you arrange a visit...

chrisw

I have a copy of the Musician's Piano Atlas, plus supplements one and two that Barrie kindly supplied. They can be purchased from this site, click on Piano Accessories Shop in the main site menu and then click on piano history books.

I'm sorry but I do not recognise the meaning of PEG no.7 .

chrisw

In my book your number fits between 1910 and 1915. Interpolation gives your piano a manufacture date in the middle of 1911.

chrisw

Believe it to be made in East Germany and would guess it is about fifty years old so made 1970ish. Almost certainly will have an iron frame and have under dampers. Has the donor given you any info regarding if it keeps tune, that all the keys are working and it doesn't make any strange noises? It co...

chrisw

Does it have a Langer action? If so maintenance will be the same my Kemble. What wood veneer is on the case?

chrisw

1996/97

chrisw

Please tell us more about how you have come across the piano on the internet. Has it been advertised by a respected dealer, is it a private sale , on ebay or other used item market place. As Barrie has said it is pointless getting it tuned before it is moved. However if the piano is getting on in ye...

chrisw

Sorry, F.Rubenstein is not listed in my reference book.

chrisw

Thanks, Barrie

chrisw

I don't know what the capital A stands for but if the serial number was 82116 it would put year of manufacture between 1925 and 1930.

chrisw

I avoid Chopin so I cannot give much advice. The tempo appears to be fast enough and I would not try to play it faster, in fact I would be tempted to slow it down and I would think carefully about how much sustain pedal to use.

You have done well to memorise this music.

chrisw

https://www.yorkshirepianos.com/broadwo ... nnloNIpN1E

chrisw

Herrburger Brooks are the people who made the action and maybe the keys also. If you are able to take the upper front panel off the piano and then remove the lowest key, it may have the year of manufacture stamped on the side of the key. As Barrie says, probably not worth very much money. If you wan...

chrisw

The Broadwood grand is probably a Chinese copy, I would give Alistair a ring or text him his number is on the Broadwoods website he doesn't do emails. Barrie Dr.L did not recognise the serial number so you are likely to be correct, Barrie, that it is a copy. I'm surprised that piano companies can g...

chrisw

Marianne came to tune on Dec 18th and she confirmed that she has recently been training two people to tune, one in Manchester and the other in north Lancs. She was happy that my piano had been stable over the eight months since she had last visited and that she would call again in about six months. ...

chrisw

Thank you Barrie. Happy Christmas to you and yours too. All the best for 2024.

chrisw

Kate, if you are a beginner you need a piano that can be put into tune. This piano is becoming so old that it may not be capable of being put into tune and the only way to find out is to have it inspected by a piano tuner. I would imagine this to cost say something up to £100.You can also ask them t...

chrisw

It is a spinet upright. D'almaine is not registered in my book as a piano maker.

chrisw

Hi. We have a W. H. BARNES Ltd., D’ALMAINE piano sitting in our hallway in Devon for the last 26 years. It belonged to my mother, father and brother who have all now unfortunately passed away. This piano was bought around 1937? I was born in 1944 in Twickenham and I always remember it being in our ...

chrisw

Judging from the design of the case , the serial number and what little information I have about Becker pianos I would guess the year of manufacture somewhere between 1880-85.
Also very little in the way of value.

chrisw

Kheijhackt wrote: ↑01 Aug 2023, 04:44 By practicing on yamaha ydp 151, will I be able to adapt quickly when I suddenly play on a real grand piano (public pianos for example)?

Suggest you try to find out. Lots of people would find a sudden change to be difficult.

chrisw

Suggest you engage a tuner to have a look at it and determine if the tuning pins are tight. Having it tuned would be the next step.

chrisw

The piano veneer looks to be teak. (teak finish was very fashionable in the 1970's ). If so it should be treated with teak oil which will darken it a little followed by a dark wax. Be careful if you start to 'sand' the surface since the veneer could be thin and you might go through it to the timber ...

chrisw

S.Smith, you could try sending a personal message as the recipient will be alerted by email.

chrisw

Well that is a lovely story. Hope the restoration goes well.

chrisw

Congratulations. No doubt it will be an emotional home coming.

chrisw

I remember the Taphouses' shop in Magdalen Street Oxford but have no information about James Farmer pianos. My book does contain reference to S.Farmer & Co pianos and gives a serial number of 15937 dated 1921.

chrisw

Patent number or serial number ? If the former I have no information and if the latter it makes your piano earlier than Victorian.

chrisw

Wikipedia has a list of Yamaha corporation products from which it looks like the YDP 131 was first made available in 2005. The only dated serial numbers that I can access are for acoustic pianos and not digital.

chrisw

If it has a Herrberger Brooks(HB) action it is likely the date of manufacture is found somewhere on the action. The lowest note key on my piano, which has a HB action, has been time stamped. Ask your tuner to have a look.

chrisw

Dagmar are mentioned in The Musician's Piano Atlas but apart from saying that James Smith &sons,76/72 Lord Street Liverpool were the sole agents it says little else. Sorry but I do not have a list of serial numbers and dates.

chrisw

Barrie,
Do you think this lecture will be more about ivory than timber?
C

chrisw

Retrola,
Suggest you make contact with
https://www.pianola.org.uk/

chrisw

I logged into the first meeting and hope join on 2nd Jan 23 using Zoom. I wasn't keen on the Wonder Room last time but guess that it could work well if there are more than one conversations going on.

chrisw

Hello Berria, I think that only you can make that decision because it has to take into account how much you like the piano and perhaps how much you are prepared to spend on a replacement. I had not heard of a Kawai CX-21H model before but there is information about them on the net. If you like how t...

chrisw

Congratulations, I hope you will enjoy it. Please let us know when it arrives.

chrisw

Welmar is a good make. I haven't visited Park Pianos but have known about them for quite a few years and would certainly be willing to visit them if I was in the market for a new piano. On their website they are offering this Welmar with a three year warranty so that seems reasonable. Give them a ri...

chrisw

I know very little about regulation but my understanding is that it refers to taking up lost motion in the key stroke due to felt compaction and adjustment of the hammer let off points. Your symptoms regarding the pedal movements strike me as caused by age related reduction of lubrication which your...

chrisw

Ronisch are (were) a well respected German make and there seems to be plenty of information on the net. As an inherited piece your piano is likely to have more value to yourself than anyone else. In general old unrestored pianos are worth next to nothing although cannot comment specifically on your ...

chrisw

Eighteen notes per second would definitely be too difficult for me, even 10 notes a second would be a challenge. The following video hopefully shows that it is not the piano action which is the limiting feature!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud3goJHb3zY&t=159s

chrisw

You are not being unreasonable in expecting a brand new piano case to be in pristine condition when you take delivery, irrespective of price. If case work is getting marked in transit from China to the dealer then the dealer should have the damage repaired before it goes out to customers. What can o...

chrisw

I think it most unlikely that the origin of the frame and/or the naming of the action would be misrepresented. It is possible that the keys may also have been produced by the Langer company and if so there is likely to be a stamp on the lowest white key showing the name Herrberger Brooks, Long Eaton...

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