Elcke` Paris

alexbau · Post by **alexbau** » 09 May 2007, 14:07

Hi all, this is my 1st post so be patient with my horrible English..

I've got an ancient piano from my grandmother (it was from my grandmother's grandmother), it's called "Elcke` Paris", you can take a look here:

and here:

it sounds but it needs to be rearranged, don't know yet how much.
Can you please help me in dating (approx) and evaluating (approx too)?

if you need more info qabout the piano please ask me!

thank you!!

Alex

Post by **Bill Kibby** » 09 May 2007, 19:19

I am sure my French is worse than your English! The company was established in 1846, and still existed in name in the 1970s, but only a few dates of serial numbers are available, from the early 1900s, and we have nothing else. Can you email me some better photos? The whole piano, and interior shots?

alexbau · Post by **alexbau** » 10 May 2007, 09:16

thank you for reply Bill, I'll be at my grandmother's house on saturday and I'll take all the shoots I can to help you.
there is something special that you need to see inside or outside?

thanks again

Alex

Post by **Bill Kibby** » 10 May 2007, 09:29

As much interior detail as possible. Have a look at the Reports link at pianogen.org

alexbau · Post by **alexbau** » 13 May 2007, 09:27

Hi Bill, here's the shoots I've taken:

The piano is all-wood-made, no cast iron inside. The wood is probably durmast. I've not seen dates or similar.
If you need these shots more defined than the ones i've posted please let me know, I may send you by mail the originals (2272x1704, 24bit 180dpi, taken from a Canon PowerShot A520), they are approx 1,75MB each.
One curious thing: in the seller's paper there's the street in which he had his shop: well, the street doesn't exist no more, since (almost since) the early of 1900...

Many thanks!!!

Alex

nightwolf_bg · Post by **nightwolf_bg** » 14 May 2007, 09:27

Hello to both of you

I'm trully sorry, that I allow myself to type in your post, but I just wonder, like you..

I got in hands similar piano ( F.Elcke Paris ). It seems old enough and I just wonder, is it worthy or .. ?

Here you can take a view on the pictures:

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/ ... mage-2.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/ ... iano/5.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/ ... iano/4.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/ ... iano/2.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/ ... iano/1.jpg

Trully thank you in advance.

Post by **Bill Kibby** » 14 May 2007, 09:45

Don't apologise, that's what we're here for, and it's interesting to see a couple of Elcke's instruments. We don't have a proper exterior photo of the first piano #2341, the interior is very much based on the interior designs of Robert Wornum, London, whose actions were copied by Pape while he worked for Pleyel. The exterior is, of course, much prettier than many London pianos of the period. I can only guess this might be from the 1850s, and perhaps the other one (number unknown) is from the 1860s, much more typical of the style of French makers such as Pleyel, Debain or Faivre. Have a look at the Datemarks link at pianogen.org as well as the Numbers link.

nightwolf_bg · Post by **nightwolf_bg** » 14 May 2007, 10:12

Thanks for the fast reply Bill.

I mostly wonder about, cause I was thinking to put on sale this piano. It just stay like that from years now and no one use it. Any idea at what price range goes the Elcke painos? I'm big dilettante and know nothing about pianos ..

Try using google to find something similar on sale, but without any success.

Post by **Bill Kibby** » 14 May 2007, 10:27

I would be interested to know if there is a number inside the top, but value is impossible to say. In the UK, Victorian pianos rarely fetch any significant amount unless they have been professionally restored. Have a look at the Valuation link at pianogen.org

alexbau · Post by **alexbau** » 14 May 2007, 10:32

Hi Bill, first of all thank you very much for the professional help!

I would like to know some others few things about this piano:
observing the shoots I've made can you understand how the piano could be ruined? In your opinion how much work the piano could need to be playable again? Does it has sense (working on it)? Could be expensive? Can you assume how much it could be expensive (approx obviously)?

Many many thanks!!

Alex

Post by **Bill Kibby** » 14 May 2007, 10:44

No, it's impossible without being there on the spot to test the tuning pins and the performance of the mechanics etc.. I have no idea of prices wherever you are in the world, but with a piano this old, it is usually the tuning pins that let it down, and replacing them means re-stringing, and ends up costing more than the piano is worth.