Spencer piano #27075

[westw]

Bill, I just aquired a spencer piano and would like to try and find out an approximate age. The serial # I have found on it is 27075. There also was the #6 directly above the previous number. Any help you could give would be appriciated. Thanks.

Walter West

[Bill Kibby]

The number suggests that it was made in 1896, the 6 is a model number.

[westw]

Thanks for the quick reply. It's nice to know it may be older than we thought. The piano still plays well thought it does have one broken wire. We are in Ely, Cambridgeshire would you have a recommendation of someone who might be able to tune it and replace the broken wire. It does have a metal frame inside and now that I know the approx age I realise that it is in pretty good shape overall. Would a piano of this age have actual ivory on top of the keys? Thanks again.

[Bill Kibby]

There is a huge file of postings for Spencer further down this page, which also covers the point about key coverings. "Plastics have been imitating ivory since the 1860s, and this being a cheap-ish piano, it would probably be artifical, but I can't guarantee it. Old ivory would have a join on each natural (white) covering, level with the fronts of the sharps (black notes). The heads and tails are separate pieces of ivory." You can email me about tuning in Cambridgeshire, or have a look at http://www.pianogen.org