Brasted piano?

[vladguan]

Hi all. I am from Australia. we have a very old upright, we are trying to figure what brand it is. We have had it for over 30 years (bought second hand). There are no name plates or any form of ID except for two embossed numbers on the iron frame. One is 31-1-22 which we pressume is when it was made, 31st, January, 1922. The other one is 214B in an embossed circle with the letter B below the numerals. The only other number is on a wood support next to the iron frame and is 9217.

As my images are wider than 400 pixels, I cannot link them in. Please have a look at them at:
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/ab12 ... ikov/piano

Now, I did stumble upon the following thread which mentions an Emile Auberon upright.
http://www.piano-tuners.org/piano-forum ... ?f=2&t=506

Is that what I have?

All help much appreciated.

Vlad

[Bill Kibby]

First thoughts are that the type of frame casting date you mention is described on my page at
http://pianohistory.info/datemarks.html

The case has been modernised, Emile Auberon is not thought to be a real maker, see
http://pianohistory.info/names.html

214B is a mark found in Brasted pianos from at least 1900 to 1922, examples include Auberon and...

1922 214B encircled Normelle
Circa 1922? 214B encircled & B Brasted
1922 31-1-22 214B encircled Ehrmann

I don't know if these were all made by Brasted. In 1922 I would expect a serial number in the region of 32000., this may have been defaced when it was modernised.

I will have a look at your other pictures.

[Gill the Piano]

Was Auberon a Kemble invention?

[Bill Kibby]

Why Kemble? We have no evidence of a real maker named Auberon, and some "Emile Auberon" pianos were sold by a London retailer named Wheatlands around a century ago, but other retailers sold them. Some were certainly made by Brasted, a wholesaler like Kemble. See
http://pianogen.org/names.html

214B is certainly a mark used on Brasted frames around 1920. Notes about modernised pianos may be found at
http://pianogen.org/miscellaneous.html

The sconces (candle-holders) are unlikely to be original, and have been fitted in a strange place.

[Gill the Piano]

Why Kemble?

I just remember tuning an Auberon with a K prefix to the number and it had a Kemble label under the end key.

[Bill Kibby]

Interesting, that just confirms that they didn't care who made them, they just stick the name on them. Nevertheless, this one is almost certainly a Brasted.