Advice on Boyd Piano

[mnawara]

Hi,
I live in Egypt and i am buying a baby grand piano. I found this piano in an antique shop and i like it very much.. do u have any information about the maker or age or quality of this brand?
the sales guy told me its more than 100 years old.

[Colin Nicholson]

A nice looking piano, but looks can be deceptive. It looks late 1800s (square octagonal legs), and at first glance, I would be suspicious about the so ornate name on the fallboard. This could be a water or varnish gummed decal added after the piano was re-polished. Boyd London are heard of, but no history unless someone has more info. There are also no serial numbers for Boyd.

From a distance, it looks German.... possibly Schiedmayer & Sohns. Have a look inside the piano to see if the name is embossed in iron lettering on the gold frame.... you may need to remove the music tray.

I suspect the shop owner just has this one piano in stock? If so, could be from a house clearance, and they won't know the first thing about pianos.... and the money just funds the shop. I would recommend you to ring a piano tuner/ technician in your area and pay to have the piano checked over.... tuning pins, stability, and possibly remove the mechanism to check its condition inside. Ask the shop keeper if the piano has been restored, and if so, ask to see receipts/ workshop restoration notes etc.

The name looks very flamboyant for Boyd, and I suspect it may have been renamed.... inside the piano may reveal its name aswell or a different name. Key bushings also look very worn as large gaps between the keys.
Only a piano tech person will know its condition and quality by a face-to-face inspection.
This also depends on what the piano is selling for (UK Pound Sterling).

Colin

[NewAge]

Pending getting a piano technician to give precise opinion on it's condition (a technician NOT affiliated to the seller!), would it be possible to supply a few more photos, particularly of the sound board, tuning pins, strings - and the way they are attached to the pins.
I'm certainly no piano expert, but I have seen some old pianos freshly 'restored', and been appalled at some of the workmanship.
You may have found a 'jewel', or just a piano tarted up with very limited musicality, leading to buyers remorse. Unfortunately often the case with pianos from antique stores. Forewarned is forearmed.

[Colin Nicholson]

The grand piano name appears to be a fake.
Not sure why someone would want to copy a Boyd London... it all looks wrong.

Here is a genuine "Boyd London" piano (and genuine decal). See photo below.
Note the style of lettering, and the letters 'O' leaning to the left.... all correct.
Also, just London, no other city or town name belongs to Boyd. I can't even make out the other city?

Original Boyd London piano/ decal

BoydLondon.jpg (80.36 KiB) Viewed 17004 times

Finally, read this post about the alleged "Erard" .... also turned out to be a fake....

http://www.piano-tuners.org/piano-forum ... =2&t=11886

[Colin Nicholson]

I might be wrong here, but it seems like the piano has already been bought and delivered? (in relation to "I am buying" - future tense) .... doesn't really look like an Antiques shop.... with new laminated flooring, looks more like the room/ nice apartment the piano is situated in now.... so obviously no going back if that's the case.

To verify my curiosity, I simply googled a few "Boyd London" pianos (all were upright, not aware they made grands).... and here is the original cast name embossed (or smelted into) the cast iron frame.... it could also be a badge glued on.... however, it is genuine, and bears the correct name in relation to the name on the fallboard.
This image is from an upright piano, the badge appearing between the bass & treble strings (in the apex area).... so my suggestion for your grand piano is to remove the music rest completely, and if the piano is genuinely a Boyd, it will show this lettering in an oval surround, or something similar to this, noting the style of lettering should match the name on the fallboard.
Hope that helps....

BoydLondonCast

BoydLondonCast.jpg (117.37 KiB) Viewed 16990 times

[Gill the Piano]

Either Keitz or Leitz, I thought. The first leads to some plumber in america, the second to a stationers near Abingdon!

[vernon]

I can't think anyone would want to forge a Boyd. I think it's more likely that Boyds used a different font sometimes.
Most other makers have over the years.

viz; Broadwoods,SteinwayChappell et al.

[Colin Nicholson]

I agree whole heartedly Vernon.... a straight forward piano name sometimes changes design & font.... but this piano seems to be a piano maker + plumber combined! and of course your viz would include their name replicated somewhere on the frame, even if modified.