John Spencer & Co. upright

[Lulamae]

A beautiful-looking piano has been advertised locally, and I am keen to go and see it. I have attached a picture. I was warned off another old (c. 1914) piano by a local piano tuner since it was unlikely to have many years of service left in it/would need tuning more frequently due to central heating etc., so I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on the likely age of this one, and whether I should beware if it is also something of an old lady, or simply cherish it for being so (and still, apparently, playing well -- I am yet to test it myself)? The seller doesn't know the age, but the serial number I have been given by her is 57907.

Also, the seller actually advertised it as a Murdoch & Co. piano, despite the lid showing John Webster & Co. Is this because John Webster was a subsidiary of Murdoch (I have tried to clear up the confusion for myself by looking through the Forum, but I'm still not quite clear)?

Many thanks,
Daisy

[Bill Kibby]

Firstly, it is not Webster, but Spencer. Murdoch was a retailer who took over Spencer's factory. The serial number suggests that it was made in 1912. Where I live, pianos like this would fetch ten or twenty pounds at auction! It is overstrung, so that is something in its favour.

For more information about Edwardian pianos, see
http://pianogen.org/edwardian.html
http://pianogen.org/central.html

[Gill the Piano]

They're usually fairly well made pianos but a lot hinges on how well it's been treated in the intervening years. I tune one that's been dragged back & forth between here and america, and it tunes and holds well. Listen for any howlingly out of tune notes which sound more like two notes sounding at once; this can be indicative of a split in the tuning plank which would be unfeasibly expensive to cure. If you do buy it, you will need to keep in a room where it won't die of thirst, so in a room which is not too hot and maybe near a kitchen or a room which has plants in it or where you dry clothes.

[Lulamae]

Whoops, apologies for my careless typing (trying to do too many things at once!), and many thanks for your helpful, sensible advice in spite of it!

It sounds like both I and the seller need to give this a fair bit more thought.

Many thanks again,
Daisy