Crane & Sons

[courtesy]

I recently bought a second hand Crane & Sons piano. The serial number is "C&S165267" and it also has Patent Applied 26958-34. The last two digits of the patent number leads me to believe it was made in 1934? Would this be correct?

What attracted me to buying the piano was that it sounded quite defined (although needs a tune-up). However, it does seem a little loud when I play.

Still saving for my Steinway but in the meantime this old honky-tonk piano will have to do.

[Bill Kibby]

The soundboard is a large flat area almost as big as the piano itself, and easily visible on the back of the piano, unless there is a cloth covering it. I would seriously doubt that it has a metal soundboard, such things were rare experiments, not normally associated with Crane & Sons. The C&S number could well be late 1930s, and the patent number doesn't tell us when the piano was made, it is usually later. See
http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-gen/datem ... ianos.html

[PianoGuy]

Maybe Crane's were the supplying dealer, and the maker's name has been removed. Maybe the iron frame itself has the maker's name cast onto it?

Sounds interesting!

[Bill Kibby]

I don't doubt that, but can you assure me that this has a metal soundboard, rather than a wooden soundboard and an iron frame?

[courtesy]

Thanks for the feedback.

I don't normally look inside pianos, I just play them(!) so I'm a little uncertain as to which part is the soundboard.

On the piano I have all the piano strings and knobs are attached to a large piece of golden coloured metal. I'm not sure if this is the soundboard. I had a look at the back of the piano and there is just the usual blocks of wood holding the outer shell together - I don't notice any other large items of wood which I would consider a soundboard.

[courtesy]

I was flicking through the forum and came across this photo:

http://www.chaboy.net/P1010037.JPG

My piano has the same gold colour metal part inside which the piano strings are attached to - what is that part called?

[Bill Kibby]

The gold-painted part is the iron frame. As I said, the soundboard is a large flat area, almost the whole area of the piano.

[courtesy]

Thanks Bill - I didn't realise that bit was the iron frame.