bentley piano help

splitbus1965 · Post by **splitbus1965** » 07 Oct 2007, 14:04

hello everybody ,this is my first post so any help and advice would be great,can anybody give me some history or tell me the age of a bentley piano number 103104

here are some photos of it

any info regarding age value etc would be great,thanks in advance and keep up the great work members

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 07 Oct 2007, 14:50

It's called a Compact 85.

Whip the top door (front) off and gently lift out the lowermost key. The completion date will be written in pencil on the side of it. Without looking the number up I'd guess at early 1960s.

splitbus1965 · Post by **splitbus1965** » 07 Oct 2007, 15:06

PianoGuy wrote:It's called a Compact 85.

Whip the top door (front) off and gently lift out the lowermost key. The completion date will be written in pencil on the side of it. Without looking the number up I'd guess at early 1960s.

cheers thanks for your help

have you any idea of what the market value is of this???

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 07 Oct 2007, 15:22

Not without seeing it.

This model was fitted with one of the worst actions ever devised. Some examples seem to self-destruct due to the poor choice of plastics used for shock-bearing components. Some survive and may be worth up to £500 if absolutely perfect, but many are scrap value only. Average price offered by dealer is £250 but you'll find the same pianos offered for sale for about a grand in their showrooms. This reflects the work that often needs to be done to them to get them playable.

Yours looks to have problems in the extreme treble.

splitbus1965 · Post by **splitbus1965** » 07 Oct 2007, 15:35

PianoGuy wrote:Not without seeing it.

This model was fitted with one of the worst actions ever devised. Some examples seem to self-destruct due to the poor choice of plastics used for shock-bearing components. Some survive and may be worth up to £500 if absolutely perfect, but many are scrap value only. Average price offered by dealer is £250 but you'll find the same pianos offered for sale for about a grand in their showrooms. This reflects the work that often needs to be done to them to get them playable.

Yours looks to have problems in the extreme treble.

thanks mate for the fast reply,how can you tell off photos that there is problems with extreme treble??sorry if this is a stupid question but the world of pianos is very new to me!

thanks once again for your help

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 07 Oct 2007, 15:57

Just thought that the last sharp on the keyboard looked a bit saggy!

You really need a decent tuner to look at it if you're intending to play it. Where are you?

splitbus1965 · Post by **splitbus1965** » 07 Oct 2007, 16:10

just live on the outskirts of Preston lancs

Openwood · Post by **Openwood** » 07 Oct 2007, 17:02

We've got one of these in a practice room. I have to say that, considering it's age, it works bloody well and makes a nice sound. Warm and not at all like the institutional Knights etc of the same generation. It's been in the school since the 1970s and still functions perfectly well, which I guess is some kind of credit to the makers, however bad the action is! Mind you, I learned on one of those Bentleys with the inward curving panels and that was absolute shite. I've still got it in the back of my old man's shop. When I think about it, that all works too. That was the age when British-built meant something, my boy. Yeah, I know about Kembles but I don't like 'em so bog off.

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 07 Oct 2007, 18:13

Openwood wrote:We've got one of these in a practice room. I have to say that, considering it's age, it works bloody well and makes a nice sound. Warm and not at all like the institutional Knights etc of the same generation. It's been in the school since the 1970s and still functions perfectly well, which I guess is some kind of credit to the makers, however bad the action is!

Yeah....

The good ones seem to go on and on........

splitbus1965 · Post by **splitbus1965** » 17 Oct 2007, 21:06

it is a sad day due to house down size ,the compact has to go on ebay
check out

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :IT&ih=008

Item number: 180170734123

feel free to bid happy bidding

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 31 Oct 2007, 22:30

PianoGuy wrote: Average price offered by dealer is £250

Yours appeared to realise something in this ballpark then, I see!?

sussexpianos · Post by **sussexpianos** » 03 Nov 2007, 17:46

i like them myself:)

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 03 Nov 2007, 19:57

sussexpianos wrote:i like them myself:)

You're weird.

sussexpianos · Post by **sussexpianos** » 05 Nov 2007, 09:42

what do you expect? I work in the piano industry !!

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 05 Nov 2007, 13:29

sussexpianos wrote:what do you expect? I work in the piano industry !!

Good point, well made!