Ascherberg piano

[marius swanepoel]

I am Marius Swanepoel residing in Robertson South Africa. I am in posession of an Ascherberg upright piano with what I can make out serial number 685 or 686 stamped into the wood . I would like to know the age of the instrument and if it is worth to spent money on restoring it . The piano has been left for about 40 years to go into a not so good condition , it has got a nice sound but needs lots of loving care.Any information on this would be appreciated . Thanks Marius

[Bill Kibby]

It is impossible to say anything like that without tuning the piano, do you have a local tuner?

The numbers you quote are not big enough to be serial numbers, but they may well be the last 3 digits, imprinted on removable parts of the case, to keep them together in the factory. Is there a longer number ending in those figures?

It is unlikely that we can date the piano anyway.

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

The answer is usually "THROW IT AWAY and don't spend a penny on it"

Some forum members here are willing to help figure that out but you must upload a handful of photos showing the inside and outside of the piano first so that we can give you some general opinions. Our info should be all you will need to make a decision.

If you require a water-tight assessment then you should contact a local piano tuner and expect to pay between £40-£60 for an inspection and report.

[Bill Kibby]

The shortage of tuners in Africa is likely to take the fee up just a touch!

[marius swanepoel]

Hallo thanks for response on my request . I have got some information on this piano as I had an expert restorer asessing the piano today. The serial number on the meganism is 685 confirmed by the restorer of the piano .There are no other digits on the instrument and everything is still original except for one footpedal missing .The piano will be moved to his workshop tomorrow and pictures will be posted on this site before restoration and after . It is still in fairely good nick. Thanks Marius

[Bill Kibby]

There are often numbers on the action (mechanism) and keys, these are rarely anything that help us to date a piano, unless we have the action makers' name and a longer number, often 6 digits. I look forward to the photos.

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

Please let us know if the piano is:

- straight strung
- cross strung (or overstrung)
- oblique strung
- overdamped
- underdamped

You need to find these things out as they are critically important when deciding if a restoration is worth doing. Otherwise you could be throwing money at it.

By the way what is South Africa like as a place to live? Is there much racism? I've been reading Gandhi's autobiography and he talks of how the Indians were like a slave class. What's it like these days?

All the best
Mark

[Bill Kibby]

I hope that if Mark has any wooden-framed pianos to scrap, he might consider throwing them in the direction of the Piano History Centre, or at least conserving some historical information from them.

[marius swanepoel]

Hi it is Marius and I have the following information on the piano . The action was made by G Simon Stuttgard . This is stamped on the brass backplate of the action . The only number that appear on the whole piano is 685 , engraved into the wood of the action and stamped onto the framework. To Mark South Africa is a nice place to live . There were problems with rasicm ,but I believe that my generation are busy solving the problem . Poverty are still a big problem .Work is not easy to find especialy if you are not well qualified . Nice day . Marius

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

Hi Marius, thanks for that. I'd like to visit South Africa one day

Hi Bill, I don't throw many pianos away. Maybe 5 or 6 per year that's all.
I'll be happy to show you photos before they are scrapped next time in case you want to arrange for them to be delivered to you. I would be very happy with this arrangement as it would save me money and would prevent pianos going to landfill sites.

[marius swanepoel]

It is impossible to say anything like that without tuning the piano, do you have a local tuner?

The numbers you quote are not big enough to be serial numbers, but they may well be the last 3 digits, imprinted on removable parts of the case, to keep them together in the factory. Is there a longer number ending in those figures?

It is unlikely that we can date the piano anyway.

HI BILL IT IS MARIUS FROM ROBERTSON IN SOUTH AFRICA. I HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO RESTORE MY PIANO NO 685 AND WHAT A GOOD MOVE , SOUND BEAUTIFULL . THE PREVIOUS TUNE WAS DONE IN 1921 OR 1924 WHICH WAS INDICATED ON THE BACK OR ONE OF THE KEYS , IT NEEDED NO TUNING AT ALL AND WAS STILL IN TUNE , TO EVERYBODYS SURPRISE . SOMETHING IS GOOD ABOUT THIS INSTUMENT. I WILL ENJOY THIS PIANO . ALL THE FILT AND HAMMERS HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE SOUND IS STILL GOOD . BYE

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

YOUR KEYBOARD IS BROKEN!!


(seriously though, congratulations on your decision to restore the piano)