Are Holder Brothers pianos any good?

stuee · Post by **stuee** » 14 May 2006, 18:51

Hi to you all,

I have been offered a Holder Brother straight strung upright piano but have never heard of the make and can find very little about them.

Does anyone have any experience of this make and would you recommend purchase?

Thx,

Stuart.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 15 May 2006, 15:16

Bit like asking 'should I buy this Ford?' - how old is it, how has it been looked after, has it been mistreated....there were hundreds of pianomakers in London alone, so we need to narrow the field a bit. Is it even in Britain - there's no clue from your post. Your best bet would be to get a local tuner to give it the once over to save you from a possibly disastrous purchase.

stuee · Post by **stuee** » 15 May 2006, 15:57

I am afraid that the information about age I have is sketchy other than it is in excellent condition, with a good tone. All keys and pedals work.

I think that Holder Brothers were based in Hull and the North East, not in London.

The piano would cost only £75 so no disaster if it was a disaster, but because I had never heard of the make and their quality any help would be appreciated. Also is a straight strung piano a problem if you are not looking to be a concern pianist, just to use it to 'knock about'?

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 15 May 2006, 21:34

There's a possibility that Holder Bros were a dealership rather than maufacturers; and no, 75 quid isn't the end of the world!But a lookover by a tuner would be safest.

Straight strung pianos have shorter bass strings and therefore not as good a tone in the bass, but if you're just having a plunk about then no, there's no problems with a straight strung.
But when you start on the Rachmaninov, I'd get an overstrung!

Post by **Bill Kibby** » 22 May 2006, 14:23

There are still hundreds of straight-strung (vertical-strung) pianos doing a useful job all over the UK. The original firm of Holder became Holder Bros around 1888, and I have seen no evidence that they made the pianos, certainly some were bought in from anonymous wholesalers. They were a limited company by 1889, but the pianos are not all marked "Ltd.". As Gill so rightly says, the name tells us nothing, what we need to know first is whether the tuning pins are loose, otherwise it can cost over a thousand pounds to fix.