At 04:30 PM 1/7/2011, you wrote: >Yes, I'd expect that, at least mostly. I have actually seen Hamburg >pianos with NY-built parts in them, but that was long enough ago >that I don't remember the details. Most of the Hamburg pianos seem >to have european-built parts. I think grand action parts have always >been Renner-built, but I have confidence in this only for the last >couple of decades. My understanding is that the Hamburg factory has >used different sources for various parts (rim stock, plates, >hammers, dampers, grand action parts--even whole actions from NY >sometimes, soundboard spruce, etc.) in different eras. I see very >few, so only have anecdotes. The NY factory has mostly used NY-built >parts, but even there one finds notable exceptions: B's and D's from >the late 1980's and early 1990's have Renner-built parts, for example. Most of the recognizable divergence (as to what was built where) happened between the early 20th Cent and the end of WWII. Since then (and, with a number of fits, starts, and stops) there has been a gradual re-convergence of the design, parts and manufacture. On of the major changes came about some years ago when changes in environmental rules from the European version of the EPA coincided with changes in management direction in NY. A careful look at Hamburg production will reveal some interesting North American touches. Another change, which appears to be in progress now, is another streamlining of production between the two manufacturing locations. With the Eastern (as in Asian) market opening up more to Western luxury goods, the demand for S&S in places like China may well exceed that for much of the rest of the world market. In all likelihood, that means that Hamburg will be ramping up production again. I suspect that, as things unfold, we may see Astoria-based production to be even more limited to the N/A market (which is already saturated with new, used and "rebuilt" instruments), and much/most of the rest of the world market supplied by Hamburg. >In any case, I would expect the verdigris problem only in a Hamburg >that had action parts built in NY between about 1912 and 1962. These >are likely unusual--has anyone out there met one? Not unless one counts instruments that have had NY parts installed; and, even then, I'm not sure when action parts with the impregnated flanges would have been available outside the factory. > The severity of the problem would be related to the era, and the > environment in which the piano lived. I agree; adding only that there have been so many well-intentioned attempts to deal with servicing these parts that any one of them (let alone a combination) could well only have left things much worse than they were. As over against the recent discussion about teflon bushings (which I still prefer), when confronted with verdegris-laden actions, I do what I can to get them replaced; and work for "informed consent" when they can't be. Best. Horace >Doug > >On Jan 7, 2011, at 4:12 PM, Susan Kline wrote: > >>On 1/7/2011 3:54 PM, Ed Sutton wrote: >>>This fron Allen Wright in London, concerning whether he finds >>>verdigris in European-made Steinways: >>> >>>"actually no, I don't, now that you mention it." >> >>Presumably, they never dipped the flanges in tallow? >> >>Susan
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