GWP square piano

[henning99]

On the inside it looks like my early broadwood piano.

http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bro2mi.jpg

[Bill Kibby]

There isn't much to go on in that picture. The nameboard reminds me of Clementi squares of about two hundred years ago, but it doesn't quite match any that I can see on file. The stand only gives a vague idea of age, perhaps around the 1790s. Interior details might provide clues, how strange that the nameboard design seems intact, but with no name!

[henning99]

It looks like a very early Clementi piano, but I can't figure out the signature or the serial number. Can anyone help me. I have been searching the web for ages. The pictures are here:

http://henning-sorensen.magix.net/


Hope you can see them, the pictures are under "My Hobby".

Henning Sorensen

[Bill Kibby]

The initials GWP are familiar to me, and perhaps I will remember where I have seen them, but it is not necessarily the initials of the maker. Serial numbers are no use without the maker's name, and not always useful then! I'm tempted to say that GWD might be George William Dettmer, and #629 could be around 1800, but it looks like GWP. If you could email me some better-quality photos of the whole interior, nameboard, and the fret panels, these may help.

[PianoGuy]

On the inside it looks like my early broadwood piano.

http://img210.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bro2mi.jpg

Broadwood's used to allow employees to purchase kits of parts to make their own Broadwood clones in their spare time, as long as they weren't sold as bona-fide Broadwoods. There are hundreds still about, so maybe this is one? The maker's name often was preceded by a credit to Broadwood's employment.

[Bill Kibby]

I'm not sure if you have mixed up two ideas here. Yes, Broadwoods made pianos for Astor and various other firms in their early days. Their ex-employees wrote "From Broadwoods" on non-Broadwood pianos to imply more connection than there really was. Outworkers also made frets and various other parts for more than one firm, so the identical fret design could appear on pianos by Broadwood, G.W.Dettmer, Clementi, Tomkison, etc.. So "GWD" was one of the makers who used the same parts.

[PianoGuy]

Aha!

That makes total sense!

thanks for the correction Bill!