Brand new 1953 Winter spinet

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: <Tvak@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: June 20, 2002 5:39 PM
Subject: Brand new 1953 Winter spinet


> Having only been around for the last 5 years or so, I feel as if I have
had
> more than my share of spinets in all the various flavors, such as Winter,
> Gulbransen, Whitney, Wurlitzer, etc.  You know the ones I'm talking
about...
>
> What did these pianos sound like when they were new?  Anybody around who
> remembers their first Whitney back in 1953?  When it was brand new, out of
> the show room and right into the living room?

Only Jack Wyatt can remember back when these pianos were new. I can only
remember what 1965 Whitney, Wurlitzer, Grand, etc. pianos were like when
they were new.


>
> Were they as terrible back then as they are now,

Pretty much. Some of these pianos have actually been tuned and regulated
since then, so they may sound and play better now than they did when new.


>
> ... or did they just degrade horribly over time?

Yes.


>
> Did they have false beats in every note in the top 3
> octaves?

If they only have false beats in ever 'note' now, that is an improvement.
When new they had false beats in every string.


>
> A tenor break you could hear down the block?

But this, of course, is a problem not restricted to Grand spinets. It was,
and still is, a problem with many grands as well. But, yes, the bass/tenor
break was pretty bad then as well.


>
>Bass bichords that can only approximate a unison?

They need to be a bit out of tune for them to have any life at all. If you
ever get one tuned you'll find they are quite dead and thumpy.


>
>Little or no sustain anywhere?

This is a 'feature.' You don't want to disturb the neighbors, do you?


>
> Or were they acceptable pianos that just got worse (and worse) as time
went
> by?

Let's just say that many of them were barely acceptable when new. And some
of them might well have improved if they were lucky enough to be owned by a
family that cared and were serviced by a technician who was willing to put
in the effort necessary to make them somewhat more servicable than was
deemed necessary by the manufacturer.


>
> In other words, is this what an Old Chang will be like?

That is a good question. To some extent it will be up to the owners and the
technician. I am curious, as are you, to know how pianos of this type, that
is the average Japanese, Korean and Chinese are faring today and how they
will fare in the future.

Del