Steinway C (evolution)

[Bdshull@AOL.COM]

Ron, List:

In a message dated 1/13/02 3:50:58 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
sec@overspianos.com.au writes:

<< You are quite right. According to Steinway's website, the C was 
 introduced in 1861 at 7'1",increasing in size through three revisions 
 until it arrived at 7'5" in 1885.
  >>

FWIW, the modern "C" began its evolution at the drawing boards when the four 
scales were drafted from 1878-1880, the A, B, C and D.  Before 1878 all 
Steinway grands had jointed rims and, as far as I know, exposed pinblocks and 
3/4 plates*, and were designated by style numbers - 1, 2, 3, 4).  Steinway 
now refers to earlier models by modern nomenclature (A, B, C, D), but I have 
never seen any historical evidence that Steinway actually referred to the 
pre-1878 pianos by letter designation.  In the 1888 catalog (which can be 
bought as a reprint from Steinway NY) the modern scales are referred to both 
ways - by Style number and letter designation.  Indeed, the actual text of 
the 1888 catalog goes back and forth between number and letter:  "Style 2" 
and Style B"!

My 1878 Style 2 7'3" (pre-C) has 21 bass notes and a long plain wire scale in 
the tenor (22+).  The treble was a short scale designed for A-467 requiring 
bridge repositioning to sound good at A-440.  I am not aware that any of the 
continuous rim pianos had this "problem."  

It appears that Steinway struggled with the idea of using the "return bridge" 
or tenor bridge, which used shorter, wound strings (bi- and tri-).   The 
earliest "A" had it, and the verticals.  The verticals soon (middle 1880s) 
went to 26 note bass bridges with plain wire above that.  Economy and 
increasing scale proficiency were probably the reasons.   But I still like 
the old "A" scale with the "return" bridge.

The early designs (1-4) also had more dramatic cutoff areas, and many used an 
attachable curved iron flange with screws inside the bass cutoff which had 
threaded bolts which could be turned against a floating bass cutoff rim.  
This idea, used widely on Steinway grands until 1878 (and double-iron frame 
uprights from 1866 to 1872), appears to have been completely abandoned in the 
modern scales (A-D).  

I remain impressed with the old "C", and am reminded more of the "D" than the 
"B" by this piano, even though it is only 6 or 7" longer than the "B" and and 
about 18" shorter than the "D".  I would like to hear one of Del's rescalings 
of a "C".

Bill Shull, RPT

*the longest early scaleswith jointed rims, such as the style 4, might have 
had a full plate by 1878 - I am not sure.