Carl Hess upright piano

Vince · Post by **Vince** » 31 Dec 2004, 03:18

I was wondering if you could help me with the following:
I have an upright piano that has a plaque on it that has; Carl Hess Zeitz
written on it. Now upon removal of this plaque we discovered that there used to be a smaller plaque. The only number i can find is inside the top on the backboard (538).
Do you know the origins of this name?
Does this number mean anything?
Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Vince.

Post by **Bill Kibby** » 31 Dec 2004, 13:33

Zeitz is the town. I have occasionally come across Carl Hess pianos, but have so far been unable to locate any useful information on the firm. The fact that the plaque was altered suggests that this is not the original name of the piano. See
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/piano ... iases.html

No dates of numbers are published for Hess.

Vince · Post by **Vince** » 31 Dec 2004, 15:23

Thanks very much for your response Bill.
Whether or not this is a Carl Hess piano, would some photos of the piano assist in it's identification?
The piano was left to my in-laws approx. 40 years ago by the elderly couple they bought the house from.
Don't know details prior to this.

Post by **Bill Kibby** » 31 Dec 2004, 17:47

It is always interesting to have photos for my files, and if there is enough interior detail, I may be able to compile a report on design and approximate age, but valuation is impossible. Read on...