Leutke Leipzig Piano

[neocaligatio]

Morning all,

This is my first post and I must admit I know very little about pianos... My wife's the pianist!

We were recently given a piano that was unwanted by a local school. It's got all the associated damage you would expect having spent its life in a primary-school environment but has been regularly tuned and maintained (apparently). The piano is labelled as 'Leutke Leipzig' which I assume means the manufacturer is Leutke, based out of Leipzig.

Has anyone heard the name before? Google reveals very little and I'm interested to know a bit about the piano. As I mentioned it's in pretty poor cosmetic condition but could perhaps be tidied up:



Bigger pic: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6236/6856 ... d1f9_b.jpg



Bigger pic: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7216/6856 ... 7345_b.jpg



Bigger pic: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6037/6856 ... 5d0d_b.jpg

There are also two rather ghastly transfer/stickers on the piano outlining various health and safety notices!

Any info would be much appreciated - the piano didn't cost us anything and won't be sold any time soon so I'm more interested in history and whether we've been given something that warrants even paying for a tuning!

Chris

[Bill Kibby]

I have come across several Leutke upright pianos thought to be from in and around the twenties and thirties, but no details of the firm so far.

As far as the individual piano is concerned, you would need a tuner-technician to inspect it on the spot in order to answer the vital questions, I see that there is rust, and a broken string in the bass, and one of these often suggests a loose wrestpin (tuning pin) which may well be the tip of the iceberg.

If your tuner feels confident in removing the action, it may be marked with the action makers' name and number, and I may be able to date this.

[neocaligatio]

Thanks Bill,

We'll be leaving it for a couple of weeks to 'bed in' to the new surroundings, then I'll locate a suitable tuner/technician to have a look. I honestly don't think it's worth removing the action out of pure curiosity as it would more than likely cause other issues!

Chris

[Colin Nicholson]

Are there any more broken strings, or just the one bass string broken?

If there are a few, your tuner may need to treat the strings (top area) with a light dosing of silicone oil (not WD40!) prior to tuning .... one of the most common problems with rusty bass strings (combined with age) - is for them to break just as the string steers around that sharp bend (on the V bar)? I suspect the previous customer was told about it. Bass strings also need to be sent away and made by a string maker, and often, they dont tune well with an old string (2 bass strings per note that is) ...... so perhaps warn your tuner first if several are broken.

[geomil]

Around 14 years ago I was desperately seeking a German piano to replace my old Rheimer & Jahn, Berlin, upright, which my son now proudly has in his ‘front room’. (An English name for the old Victorian ‘parlour’!)
I visited various piano sale-rooms around Hertfordshire, Berkshire and Bedfordshire, where my request for natural wood German pianos was met with varying degrees of derision - virtually every 2nd hand instrument was a black Yamaha, ex-music college piano!
Imagine my amazement and joy, on entering the ‘Antiques Emporium’ of Ampthill, to be faced with an Art Deco inlaid, light mahogany 1920’s Leutke upright piano, which I sat down at and played for around 30 minutes, eventually convincing myself I had to own it!
A business card on the end of the keyboard gave the dealer’s (piano technician in this case) name as Gerald Parker, Hitchin, Hertfordshire. I contacted him and agreed a price - around £850.
Gerald kindly delivered this incredibly solid instrument and helped to wheel it into place in our small cottage 250 miles north!
This wunderbar piano, after years of TLC & attention, is now such a joy to me, and, like a previous Leutke owner commented, was a school piano, only wheeled out for special occasions and therefore woefully neglected.
Leutke, Leipzig, well done for around 96 years ago!

[Dieter]

Info zu Leutke Leipzig siehe: https://www.dieter-gocht.de/?page_id=2283